The signature also performed better than a wide range of host-proteins with an established role in the immune response to infection, including bacterial-related (e.g. TREM, IL-6 and IL-8), virus-related (e.g. IFN-γ and IL-2), and inflammation-related (e.g. IL-1a and TNF-α) proteins (P<10–8) (Fig. 3C and S6 Data). This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and infection.