IFNG and malaria: Whilst IFN-γ is involved in protection in some malaria models (Meding et al., 1990; Stevenson et al., 1990; Bruna-Romero et al., 2001), it is likely that other factors are involved in human malaria and the ex vivo IFN-γ ELISPOT assay is not able to clearly measure all the protective features of the immune response to malaria (Flanagan et al., 2003; John et al., 2004).