IL1B and infection: However, prior to the 2020 pandemic, in a related coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the cytokine proteins IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 were highlighted as key to host response, whereas, in infection, CXCL10 and other pleiotropic chemokines are further investigated that utilize CXCR3 expressed on Mφ, T cells, DCs, and both NK/B cells [38,39,40].