TNF and leptospirosis: Liberopoulos et al.(23) described an increase ofinterleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in severe leptospirosis.IL-6 is capable of stimulating the expression of genes responsible for LDLreceptors, decreasing LDL-C, while TNF-α stimulates hepatic TG synthesis.