Altogether, our findings suggest that, through the course of infection in individuals, the IFN-α-associated HIV-1 phenotype shifts from the tolerance to IFN-α-mediated inhibition of cell-to-cell infection (the acute phase of infection by TF viruses) to the susceptibility to IFN-α-mediated promotion of cell-free infection (the chronic phase of infection by CC viruses) (Fig 8B). This evidence concerns the gene IFNA1 and infection.