TNF and Sepsis: Cytokine concentrations attained in response to S. aureus as well as to E. coli were markedly and significantly less in assays of sepsis patients than in those of healthy controls, as observed for IL-6 (median ratio: 3.3 & 2.1-fold), TNF (24 & 92-fold), IL1-α (15.8 & 18-fold), and IL-1β (132 & 527-fold), respectively, whereas no differences were seen for IL-10 and IL-8 (Fig 2).