TNF and malaria: For example, Plasmodium is an intraerythrocytic parasite that parasitizes red blood cells (RBCs), and destructs RBCs when schizont ruptures (1); intramedullary erythropoiesis is suppressed by inflammation (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) (3, 4); RBCs clearance capacity in the spleen is upregulated in malaria because of spleen reorganization and splenomegaly (5); and reduced deformability make RBCs easier to be removed by the spleen (6, 7).