Transgenerational transmission of anti-α-Gal antibodies - avian malaria

In this perspective, we propose that natural antibodies (Abs) to the carbohydrate α-Gal expressed in gut microbiota can induce transgenerational immunity and protect birds against mosquito-borne avian malaria. Our preliminary data shows that bacterial α1,3-galactosyltransferase genes are widely distributed in the gut microbiome of birds and that anti-α-Gal Abs are found in chicken and quail eggs from different commercial vendors. The bird-malaria system allows combining field studies, infection and transmission experiments in laboratory animals to test the association between microbiota composition, anti-α-Gal Abs, and malaria infection in natural populations of wild birds with the experimental manipulation of gut microbiota testing for the effects of anti-α-Gal Abs on malaria transmission. Understanding how the gut microbiome influences the generation of transgenerational anti-α-Gal Abs with impact on infectivity of avian malarial parasites, can bring insights on how these mechanisms influence the prevalence of malarial parasites in juvenile birds and shape the host population dynamics.