November 5, 2024
Micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (pink). The small bumps on the infected cell show how the parasite remodels its host cell by forming 'knobs' on the surface, enabling it to avoid destruction and cause inflammation. Uninfected cells (purple) have smoother surfaces.
Credit:
NIAID
Malaria can be a complex, unpredictable, and deadly disease, especially in children: some children are more likely to have severe cases of malaria than others. A paper from NIAID researchers suggests that our gut microbiomes play a role in malaria susceptibility. By studying the gut microbiomes of children in Mali, scientists found that children with certain bacteria in their guts were more susceptible to febrile malaria than other children. For instance, children who had febrile malaria were more likely than children who had no malaria symptoms to have microbiomes rich in specific bacteria linked to inflammation and inflammatory bowel disorders. These observations were supported by the finding that mice colonized with stool from children with febrile malaria were less likely to control malaria infection than mice colonized with stool from children who were resistant to febrile malaria. These results suggest that studying intestinal microbiomes could pave the way for new approaches to prevent malaria disease.
Learn more in the publication, The gut microbiome is associated with susceptibility to febrile malaria in Malian children.