Obesity Exacerbates the Cytokine Storm Elicited by Francisella tularensis Infection of Females and Is Associated with Increased Mortality

Figure 3

Increased proinflammatory cytokines storm cytokines present in plasma of obese animals. In response to F. tularensis initiation, obese mice had significantly higher plasma levels of the inflammatory cytokines compared with lean siblings (p<0.05 by multiple t test).