PTPRC and malaria: To determine the effect of P. falciparum infection on circulating EPC populations, we measured frequency of EPC markers, both mature (CD45-CD34+VEGFR2+) and immature (CD34+VEGFR2+CD133+), in leukocyte fractions of whole blood from 42 randomly selected samples (8 non-malaria and 34 malaria) using FACS analysis.