In this study, serum TGF-β levels negatively correlated with the abundance of TNF-α, a pro-inflammatory cytokine elevated in human cerebral malaria patients and during experimental cerebral malaria in mice [16,31,36]. To further probe a potential connection between TGF-β and the development of severe or complicated disease, several studies stratified subjects into mild, severe, and complicated malaria presentations. The gene discussed is TGFB1; the disease is malaria.