Analyses of interaction between malaria and intestinal microbiota in patients in Uganda

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05274
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: National Institute of Infectious Diseases (2016-2018); Gunma University (2015)
• Principal Investigator: Hisaeda Hajime 国立感染症研究所, 寄生動物部, 部長 (50243689)
• Research Collaborator: Ohno Hiroshi ; Miyauchi Eiji ; Emmanuel Odongo-Aginya ; Olia Alex ; Ogwang Martin
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: マラリア / ウガンダ / 腸内細菌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We collected more than 300 blood and fecal samples from malaria patients in Uganda from 2015 to 2016 and comprehensively analyzed fecal microbiota. Malaria patients have altered microbiota including change in enterotype compared with non-malarial healthy volunteers, and the degree in alteration was much higher in patients with severe malaria. The microbiota in those patients after treatment became closer to healthy controls. These results indicate that malaria, especially severe malaria affects intestinal microbiota. We also analyzed inflammatory proteins such as cytokines in plasma samples and found some proteins remarkably increased or decreased in severe malaria patients.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学、免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで知られていなかったマラリアと腸内細菌の相互作用によるマラリアの病態形成の一端を明らかにできた。プロバイオティクスによる腸内環境の整備が新たな抗マラリア戦略の基盤となることが期待される。また、腸内細菌叢の変化とそれにともなう免疫応答の変調の解明、細菌叢の是正による免疫の正常化手段の確立も考えられ、炎症性疾患の新たな治療法、予防法の確立の確実な足がかりなることも期待できる。