In the HCWs who worked in jobs involving high exposure to patients with active TB over periods of 5 to 31 years, the HCWsLTB+ showed significantly greater secretion of proinflammatory cytokines GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p70, and TNF-α in response to M. tuberculosis antigens than the high exposure HCWsLTB− (p < [0.0001–0.01]) (Fig. 6). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is tuberculosis.