TLR4 and malaria: Among the host-related factors, polymorphisms in the genes encoding proteins and involved in either immune functions (MCP1, TGFβ1, TNFα, IL4 VNTR, IL6, and IL10), or parasite binding to human host cells (TLR4, ICAM1, and CD36) have been the focus of research in recent years as researchers try to understand malaria pathogenesis and severity and to exploit the knowledge for malaria control.