IFNAR1 and malaria: However, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IFNAR1 gene (loci 17470, L168 V, and 272354) were associated with an increased risk of severe malaria in The Gambia, and subsequently a Chr21q22.11 C>G SNP (IFNAR1 272354c-g) at position −576 relative to the transcription start was strongly associated with susceptibility to severe malaria in Gambian, Kenyan, and Vietnamese case-control studies (24, 25).