The lead news story in MalariaWorld this week is that gut bacteria are associated with life-threatening complications in African children with severe malaria. The referenced article ‘Gut bacterial dysbiosis in pediatric severe malaria associates with post-discharge mortality’ by Bednarski et al was published in Nature Communications. In the study analysis of gut bacteria in stool samples from two separate African studies, in Malawi and Uganda, found that children with severe malaria have gut bacteria dysbiosis.
Dysbiosis (also called dysbacteriosis) is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. AI search assist on Duckduckgo browser states that in the developing world bacterial dysbiosis can be caused by factors such as poor sanitation, malnutrition, and the overuse of antibiotics, which disrupt the natural balance of gut microbiota.
The dietary factors are nutritional deficiencies – limited access to diverse and nutritious foods and diets rich in sugars and refined carbohydrates that can promote harmful bacteria over beneficial ones. Medical factors include overuse of anti-biotics and infections. Inadequate sanitation and hygiene practices can increase exposure to pathogens affecting gut health. Chronic diseases and environmental toxins can negatively affect the gut microbiome.
In is no surprise that many severely ill children in the study had dysbiosis. And the authors suggest that the increased abundance of Enterobacteriaceae are associated with multiple clinical complications of severe malaria.
This suggests that the causes of severe malaria and gut bacterial dysbiosis are the same or associated. This adds more evidence to link malaria, especially sever malaria, with malnutrition, environmental toxins and poor sanitation.
(image from ecosh website).