IL6 and infection: At 12 h post-infection, THP-1 macrophages secreted higher levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and IFN-γ compared with untreated/uninfected controls (Fig 7B–7E), with the Mel˗ conidia group showing significantly higher levels of all four factors compared with the Mel+ conidia group (P < 0.05).