TNF and Cryptococcal meningitis: Cohort studies on patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis showed that early mortality associated with a high fungal burden in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is strongly associated with monocyte dysfunction, including reduced phagocytosis, reduced superoxide anion production, decreased expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II cell surface receptor HLA-DR, and a lower production of inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) [61,62].