TLR4 and malaria: Maternal TLR4 is involved in the pathogenesis of malaria severity, while fetal TLR4 has a protective response against placental parasite burden, which could be due to the paternal allele for Tlr4. Similarly, a decrease in maternal type 1 IFN receptor 1 (IFNAR1) during the course of infection promotes the parasite burden by limiting the activation and accumulation of Helper T cells.