IL6 and cystic fibrosis: Prolonged P. aeruginosa infections have been linked to chronic inflammation in the CF lung, whose hallmarks are increased levels of cytokines (i.e., Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6) and neutrophil attraction by chemokines, such as IL-8 (Reiniger et al., 2005).