The percentage of IL-1b-positive hMDMs was borderline different between active TB patients and LTBI cases after 6 hr ESAT-6 1 μg/ml (24.5 ± 15.7% vs. 35.5 ± 15.3%, P = 0.093) and ESAT-6 5 μg/ml (13.3 ± 11.4% vs. 26.1 ± 12.1%, P = 0.073) stimulation, and was significantly less in active TB patients after LPS 1 μg/ml stimulation (13.8 ± 14.7% vs. 41.6 ± 13.6%, P < 0.001) (Figure 4). This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and tuberculosis.