Treatment of PbA-infected C57BL/6J mice beginning at day 4 post-infection with the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor Nilotinib, which has been shown to inhibit multiple receptor tyrosine kinases including EphA2[60] and can cross the BBB unlike related compounds[61, 62], significantly prevented BBB breakdown in comparison to vehicle control treated mice with no effect on peripheral parasitemia (Fig 7F). The gene discussed is EPHA2; the disease is infection.