TNF and infectious meningitis: A study on a murine experimental meningitis model revealed that simultaneous intracerebral inoculation of recombinant mouse sCD14 and Streptococcus pneumoniae enhanced the release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) into the CSF and stimulated subarachnoid bacterial growth and/or affected bacterial clearance but did not influence leukocyte infiltration or their inflammatory responsiveness [16].