To clarify MTB-specific lymphocyte responses in TB patients with pulmonary cavities, we utilized ESAT-6 and CFP-10 as immunogenic antigens and FCM to determine the blood lymphocyte responses of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes producing and secreting IFN-γ and TNF-α in order to study the local immune responses of subjects with cavitary disease as compared to individuals having pulmonary infiltrates. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and tuberculosis.