In comparison with the control group, animals that received blocking HMGB1 antibodies after 60 days of infection showed a significant increase of pulmonary bacilli burdens (Fig 7A), lower expression of IFNγ, TNFα and IL17, high expression of IL-10 (Fig 7C), and higher but not significant pneumonia (39+/3% vs 32+/3%). This evidence concerns the gene HMGB1 and susceptibility to pneumonia measurement.