Fig. 3.

Blood stage infection. a During the blood stage of Plasmodium infection, NK cells reduce parasitaemia via production of IFN-γ and direct killing of iRBCs, b During experimental cerebral malaria, IFN-γ-producing NK cells may promote inflammation in the brain. However, with appropriate stimulation (e.g. IL-15 cytokine complexes), NK cells can produce IL-10 and prevent the oedema and pathology associated with ECM through effects on CD8⁺ T cells and/or brain endothelium