TNF and infection: Inflammation constitutes the body’s protective response to injury or infection and is generally beneficial to the body.1 However, when the inflammatory response proceeds disorderedly, acute inflammation can progress to chronic inflammation,2 which features sustained increased level of inflammatory cytokines, such as Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP).