Gut microbiome composition is associated with malaria infection risk. Homo sapiens

In humans it is unknown if the composition of the gut microbiome alters the risk of Plasmodium falciparum infection, the causative agent of malaria and a major public health threat for which there is no licensed vaccine. Here we analyzed the gut microbiome of 195 Malian children and adults just prior to an intense malaria transmission season. During the ensuing 6-month malaria season we prospectively examined the relationship between the microbiome composition of these individuals and their subsequent risk of P. falciparum infection and febrile malaria. Consistent with prior studies, gut microbial diversity in this cohort increased with age, although the overall microbiome profile was distinct from cohorts in other regions of Africa, Asia and North America. We observed no relationship between microbiome composition and the risk of febrile malaria; however, age-adjusted Cox regression analysis revealed a significant association between microbiome composition and the risk of P. falciparum infection. These findings underscore the diversity of gut microbiomes across geographic regions, and suggest that strategic modulation of gut microbiome composition could decrease P. falciparum infection risk in malaria-endemic areas, potentially as an adjunct to partially effective malaria vaccines.