Remarkably, TLR-mediated responses of some biomarkers, which showed a significant prediction of malaria protection/risk during the first 12 months of life (i.e., IL-12 TLR7/8 ratios, IL-1RA TLR7/8 ratios, GM-CSF TLR7/8 crude, IP-10 TLR3 crude), were significantly influenced by in utero exposure to malaria parasites (Additional files 2 and 3) indicating the clinical relevance of the modulation of newborn’s innate immune responses by PME. Here, TLR7 is linked to malaria.