TNF and leptospirosis: In addition, the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as il6 in lungs, il10 in liver; tnfalpha in blood, liver, and lung tissues; and cox2 in liver and lungs, all of which are considered to be relevant to the severity of leptospirosis, were significantly higher in hamsters infected with serovar Manilae compared with serovar Hebdomadis (Figs 2, 3, 4 and 5; see Results section).