Compared to untreated cells, imatinib induced expression of tnf mRNA (Fig 6A) and enhanced release of TNF into the media (Fig 6B) compared to infection alone, when measured at 24 hours p.i. Notably, tnf mRNA levels evident with imatinib returned to a baseline level similar to that of control infected cells by 44 hours p.i. (Fig 6C). This evidence concerns the gene TNF and infection.