However, in a human experimental malaria model, a subgroup of volunteers receiving BCG vaccination before the malaria challenge experienced reduced malaria parasitemia, concomitant with more pronounced clinical symptoms, increased early innate responses to the malaria challenge, increased plasma inflammatory IFN-γ, granzyme B and C-reactive protein, and increased cytolytic activity of NK cells in response to Plasmodium falciparum, compared with non-vaccinated control subjects (47). Here, IFNG is linked to malaria.