A subset of the genes highly expressed in women was further identified, including several involved in type I IFN signaling in response to viral infections (IRF7, DDX58, SAMHD1, OAS2, and TRIM14), that both are more highly expressed in CD4+ T cells from women and negatively correlated with VL, suggesting that they play a role in the comparative control of VL observed in women. The gene discussed is MLC1; the disease is viral infectious disease.