IL-6 production resulting from bacterial stimulation was reversed by AnxA1 treatment only in WT cells at 8 h after infection, and inhibition of phosphoryl p38 (p-p38) or COX-2 significantly inhibited S. suis-induced IL-6 expression irrespective of genotype, which indicates that the infection-induced increase of IL-6 production by these cells was dependent on p38 and COX-2 (Fig. 8B). Here, IL6 is linked to infection.