This document discusses human genetics research into infectious diseases. It summarizes that: 1) Genetic factors contribute to variability in individual responses to infection exposure and clinical outcomes. Rare single gene mutations can cause highly selective predispositions to specific pathogens like Herpes simplex virus-1 or mycobacteria. 2) Research has identified genetic causes of severe infectious diseases like Herpes simplex encephalitis and Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease. Defects in the TLR3 and IL-12/IFN-γ pathways increase risk. 3) Genome-wide studies of common infections like tuberculosis have found limited roles for common variants but suggest searching for rare variants using deep sequencing. Gen