Transcriptomic analyses of C. quinquefasciatus infected with Plasmodium relictum, a highly prevalent (Hellgren et al., 2015) and often virulent (Bueno et al., 2010; Cellier‐Holzem et al., 2010) avian malaria parasite, reveal dynamic changes in genes in the Toll, Imd and, to a lesser extent, JAK/STAT immune pathways throughout the infection. The gene discussed is SOAT1; the disease is infection.