The gut microbiome, immunity, and Plasmodium severity

Malaria continues to pose a severe threat to over half of the world's population each year. With no long-term, effective vaccine available and a growing resistance to antimalarials, there is a need for innovative methods of Plasmodium treatment. Recent evidence has pointed to a role of the composition of the gut microbiota in the severity of Plasmodium infection in both animal models and human studies. Further evidence has shown that the gut microbiota influences the adaptive immune response of the host, the arm of the immune system necessary for Plasmodium clearance, sustained Plasmodium immunity, and vaccine efficacy. Together, this illustrates the future potential of gut microbiota modulation as a novel method of preventing severe malaria.