TNF and infection: Thus, TNF is pivotal in mediating immune protection against Mtb during the early and late stages of infection, as demonstrated by the increased susceptibility to ATB progression among people with LTB receiving anti-TNF immunotherapies (Keane et al., 2001; Gómez-Reino et al., 2003; Mohan et al., 2004; Wallis et al., 2004).