In CD the level of various humoral factors with a pronounced diverse direct and indirect antiviral activity in the inflamed intestinal tissues are increased (defensins, IFN-gamma, IFN-alpha, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-15 the latter being necessary for the development and function of NK/NKT cells and maintenance of naive and memory CD8(+) T cells; (Forsberg et al., 2004; Hazrati et al., 2006; Di Sabatino et al., 2007; Brottveit et al., 2013; Meresse et al., 2015)), that might have a protective effect on the infection. The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is Cowden disease.