The paediatric study in our centre, where 62% of children where HIV co-infected, demonstrated an equally intense CSF cytokine response in children with pneumococcal meningitis; the four cytokines measured in that study (TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10) were significantly higher only in HIV co-infected non-survivors as compared to HIV co-infected survivors.5 This evidence concerns the gene TNF and pneumococcal meningitis.