IL6 and viral infectious disease: In our study, levels of 12 cytokines and chemokines in the apical supernatant of hAECs were elevated following A(H7N9) virus infection, including GRO-α, MIP1-α, MIP1-β, SDF-1α, RANTES, IL-1α, IP10, IL-1RA, MCP1, IL-8, IL-6, and IL-1β.