TNF and infection: In mice immunized with lap(−) iRBC, the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFNγ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-12p70, IL-17A, MCP-1, and IL-23 were indeed significantly increased compared to naive mice (Fig. 5) and might therefore be involved in modulating antibody-mediated clearance of lap(−) infections and protection from wild-type challenge.