CXCL8 and infectious meningitis: Interleukin-8 (IL-8) for example, has been noted by several studies to be an important player in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal diseases18,20–23 but in depth studies on the expression of IL-8 and other human inflammatory responses towards different pneumococcal serotypes and the resulting patient outcome, especially in meningitis cases, are scarce.