Although this is the first observation of an association between IL1RN and T. b. gambiense infections, associations have been already reported between IL1RN variants and other diseases such as keratoconus in a Korean population [65], H. pylori gastric [36] and periodontitis disease [64] in the Brazilian population, and hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis in the Chinese population [66]. Here, IL1RN is linked to keratoconus.