More recently, lower PCT values were associated with a reduced risk of detection of pyogenic bacteria in a large cohort of children with pneumonia in the U.S. (Stockmann et al., 2017) Michelow et al examined levels of 15 cytokines in 55 children with CAP and found that only IL-6 correlated with indicators of disease severity (Michelow et al., 2007). Here, IL6 is linked to pneumonia.