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Why some individuals develop severe influenza remains unclear. Noting the possibility that single-gene mutations could predispose individuals to fulminant viral infection, a multinational team of researchers undertook whole-exome sequencing in 22 individuals who had recovered from life-threatening influenza. They identified one 7-year-old girl with compound heterozygous null mutations in IRF7, which encodes interferon regulatory factor 7.
Except for multiple episodes of bronchiolitis, the girl had seemingly been healthy when, at age 2.5 years, she developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome while suffering from H1N1 influenza A virus infection. She slowly recovered and has remained healthy. She had no detectable T- or B-cell defects…