IL18 and AIDS: Because macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of AIDS-related HCMV retinal necrosis [37] as well as MAIDS-related MCMV retinal necrosis [38], parallel studies were next performed using the IC-21 mouse macrophage cell line to compare the temporal patterns of MCMV-induced caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1β, and IL-18 transcript production for this mouse cell type with those obtained for MCMV-infected MEF.