TFRC and malaria: Malaria parasite assays have previously provided a robust mechanism to account for how iron-deficiency anaemia protects against P falciparum infection (parasite invasion and growth rates are poor in older microcytic red blood cells) and why supplementation abrogates this effect (parasite invasion and growth rates are high in reticulocytes and large young red blood cells).15, 27, 28 These effects are replicated in our study and concur with associated changes in CD71 (a reticulocyte marker).