When considering the proportion of each cytokine with respect to the total malaria-specific cytokine-producing response, the relative proportion of TNFα cytokine producing cells was significantly higher in multigravid compared to primigravid women in both cohorts combined (p = 0.000012 (Fig. 3b) [Mann Whitney U test]) and in each individual cohort (Supplemental Figure S10), and this remained significant after adjusting for maternal age and parasitaemia status at the time of sampling (Supplemental Table S6). This evidence concerns the gene TNF and malaria.