TNF and coinfection: Moreover, in this study, the levels of most cytokines in the HBeAg+ group, such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17 and TGF-β, were higher than those in the HBeAg- group, while the IL-4 and IL-10 levels were equivalent to those in the HBeAg- group, indicating that HBeAg+ can promote patients with HBV/TP co-infection to secrete T lymphocyte-associated cytokines and involve it in the inflammatory reaction.