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Updated: Jun 4, 2025
Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Interplay Between Helminth Infections, Malnutrition, and Gut Microbiota in Children and Mothers from Pemba, Tanzania:
Aristide Toussaint Nguélé1,2, Matteo Mozzicafreddo3, Chiara Carrara1
1School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
Background/Objectives:
Despite efforts within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goal to end malnutrition by 2030, malnutrition and soil-transmitted helminth infections persist in sub-Saharan Africa. A significant barrier to success is the inadequate understanding of effective intervention methods. Most research on the gut microbiota's role in health has been conducted in developed countries, leaving a critical gap in knowledge regarding low-income populations. This study addresses this gap by expanding research on the gut microbiota of underprivileged populations to help tackle these public health challenges.
Methods:
We employed 16S rDNA sequencing to assess the bacterial gut microbiota composition of 60 children (mean age: 26.63 ± 6.36 months) and their 58 mothers (mean age: 30.03 ± 6.31 years) in Pemba, with a focus on helminth infection and nutritional status.
Results:
Our differential abundance analysis identified bacterial taxa that were significantly negatively associated with both helminth infections and malnutrition, highlighting the potential for microbiota-directed interventions to address these health issues simultaneously. Notably, we identified Akkermansia, Blautia, Dorea, and Odoribacter as promising probiotic candidates for such interventions. In stunted children, positive co-occurrences were observed between Lactobacillus, Prevotella, and Bacteroides, while Escherichia/Shigella displayed negative co-abundance relationships with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers in the gut microbiota. These findings suggest that administering Lactobacillus and SCFA-producing probiotics to children may foster the growth of beneficial bacteria like Prevotella and Bacteroides while reducing the relative abundance of Escherichia/Shigella, potentially enhancing overall health.
Conclusions:
This study underscores the importance of microbiota-directed interventions in children and women of reproductive age as promising strategies, alongside established approaches, for combating helminth infections and malnutrition in vulnerable populations.
