Malaria: Gut microbiome may influence severity of illness - New Scientist

After being bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, people with a certain mix of gut bacteria had much higher levels of the parasite in their blood than those with different microbes

Health 21 September 2022

By Carissa Wong

3d illustration of blood cells and Plasmodium sp. parasites causing malaria.

Malaria parasites multiply inside red blood cells

CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Your gut microbes may influence how well malaria parasites replicate in your body, according to a small study. If confirmed, the findings could mean that altering the gut microbiome can protect people against severe malaria.

Previous studies looking at naturally occurring malaria infections in people have hinted at a possible link between the mix of bacteria in people's guts and the severity of malaria infections.

Jennifer Manuzak at Tulane University in Louisiana and her colleagues looked to test this idea by deliberately …

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