Data from: Competing for blood: the ecology of parasite resource competition in human malaria-helminth co-infections

Ecological theory suggests that co-infecting parasite species can interact
within hosts directly, via host immunity and/or via resource competition.
In mice, competition for red blood cells (RBCs) between malaria and
bloodsucking helminths can regulate malaria population dynamics, but the
importance of RBC competition in human hosts was unknown. We analyzed
infection density (i.e. the concentration of parasites in infected hosts),
from a 2-year deworming study of over 4,000 human subjects. After
accounting for resource-use differences among parasites, we find evidence
of resource competition, priority effects, and a competitive hierarchy
within co-infected individuals. For example, reducing competition via
deworming increased Plasmodium vivax densities 2.8-fold, and this effect
is limited to bloodsucking hookworms. Our ecological, resource-based
perspective sheds new light into decades of conflicting outcomes of
malaria-helminth co-infection studies with significant health and
transmission consequences. Beyond blood, investigating within-human
resource competition may bring new insights for improving human health.