IFNG and infection: Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) was the only serum cytokine that showed a significant increase in the NTZ group in both stages of infection: acute (40 dpi and 30 days post-treatment [dpt]) and asymptomatic chronic (60 dpi/50 dpt), unlike tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), the serum levels of which did not differ from the baseline level determined in the NC group mice (Figure 3).