In support of the protective role of proinflammatory cytokines, a later study also showed that HIV/AIDS patients who have survived cryptococcal meningoencephalitis exhibited higher CSF levels of IL-8, IL-12p40, IL-17A, TNF-α, INF-γ and serum TNF-α compared to non-survivors [40]. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and AIDS.