Therefore, we cannot directly specify which stage of TB, infection of Mtb or development of active disease, was more affected by MBL2. The third, although the highly significant association between MBL deficiency and increased susceptibility to TB derives from a biologically based a priori hypothesis, the initial findings presented here should be independently verified in other subpopulations of ethnic Chinese origin (e.g. southern Chinese) or of different ancestry. The gene discussed is MBL2; the disease is tuberculosis.