TNF and infection: Regular vegetative cells induce a macrophage favored polarization toward M1 (CD80+/CD86+/CD206−, high levels of CXCL-8, IL-6, and TNF-α), while persister cells initially induce a polarization favoring M2, more specifically M2b (CD80+/CD86+/CD206+, high levels of IL-10, and intermediate levels of CXCL-8, IL-6, and TNF-α), which is then skewed toward M1 polarization, by 24 h of infection, once the internalized persister cells revert into an awakened metabolically active state.