IL6 and tuberculosis: The importance of Th1 cells in tuberculosis control is widely accepted 45, and our study clearly shows that M. tuberculosis H37Ra induces a strong Th1 response, reflected by the increased expression of Th1 cytokines such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1, that mediates successful resistance to M. tuberculosis infection 45,46.