TNF and tuberculosis: In particular, we found that HIV-seronegative persons with previous extrapulmonary TB had lower CD4+ lymphocyte counts and their macrophages produced significantly less cytokines such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-6 both at rest and after stimulation with M. tuberculosis. Additionally, previous epidemiologic work has suggested that female sex, black race, and foreign birth are associated with an increased risk of extrapulmonary TB, independent of HIV infection [12, 13].