TNF and Epstein-Barr virus infection: Primary EBV infection is characterized by elevated serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines like interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), tumor growth factor (TGF)-β and interleukin (IL)-10, while transcriptomic analyses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in primary EBV-infection have shown a distinct genetic expression profile associated with hyperinflammatory syndromes (14).