<i>IFITM3</i> rs12252-C was associated with severe influenza virus infection in several studies, however whether this association is universal to all types of influenza virus or diverse ethnic populations remain controversial.
The SNP rs12252-C allele alters the function of interferon-induced transmembrane protein-3 increasing the disease severity of influenza virus infection in Caucasians, but the allele is rare.
Our meta-analysis suggests that IFITM3 rs12252 T>C polymorphism is significantly associated with increased risk of severe influenza but not with the chance of initial virus infection.