IL6 and infection: The threespecific inflammatory proteins examined in this study, interleukin-6 (IL-6),C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen, represent different classes of hostdefense factors.16 IL-6 is a cytokine produced by immunocompetent cells, such as monocytes andmacrophages, that has diverse effects on the host response, including guiding immunecells to the site of injury or infection and instigating the acute phase response.CRP is an acute phase protein produced in the liver that directly and indirectlyeliminates pathogens from the body.