Previous studies have described three polymorphisms in irf‐1 that appear to have a beneficial effect on natural resistance to HIV‐1 infection, where individuals with one or more of these polymorphisms presented lower IRF1 protein expression and reduced responsiveness to IFN‐ɣ stimulation; furthermore, these polymorphisms did not affect disease progression in terms of decreased CD4+ T cells and HIV‐1 viral load, suggesting that the protective effect is limited to the early stages of infection [82, 83]. The gene discussed is IRF1; the disease is infection.