Regarding the differences between negative pre-infection samples and positive viral samples (ongoing infection) an infection caused increase of RANTES (3.5 ± 3.6 vs. 1.2 ± 3.8 pg/mL; P = 0.02); VEGF (1.2 ± 32.5 vs. 29.4 ± 37.4); and HIF-1α (638.6 ± 1989.7 vs. 145.4 ± 584.0 pg/mL; P = 0.03) was observed, as depicted in Fig. 2, reflecting the expected increase in immune molecules caused by a viral infection. Here, VEGFA is linked to infection.