Studies of plasma levels of VEGF in southeast Asian adults have shown counterintuitive results, with VEGF concentrations lowest in severe malaria and inversely associated with lactate.13 The frequency of VEGF protein expression in the brain of the severe malaria cases was heterogeneous within groups, but extensive labelling could be observed in neurons and glial cells in severe malaria cases (Figures 2–4). The gene discussed is VEGFA; the disease is malaria.