Journal article : Review
Intestinal injury and the gut microbiota in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria
- Abstract:
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The pathophysiology of severe falciparum malaria involves a complex interaction between the host, parasite, and gut microbes. In this review, we focus on understanding parasite-induced intestinal injury and changes in the human intestinal microbiota composition in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. During the blood stage of P. falciparum infection, infected red blood cells adhere to the vascular endothelium, leading to widespread microcirculatory obstruction in critical tissues, including the splanchnic vasculature. This process may cause intestinal injury and gut leakage. Epidemiological studies indicate higher rates of concurrent bacteraemia in severe malaria cases. Furthermore, severe malaria patients exhibit alterations in the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota, although the exact contribution to pathophysiology remains unclear. Mouse studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota composition can impact susceptibility to Plasmodium infections. In patients with severe malaria, the microbiota shows an enrichment of pathobionts, including pathogens that are known to cause concomitant bloodstream infections. Microbial metabolites have also been detected in the plasma of severe malaria patients, potentially contributing to metabolic acidosis and other clinical complications. However, establishing causal relationships requires intervention studies targeting the gut microbiota.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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- Files:
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(Preview, Version of record, pdf, 534.1KB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011661
Authors
- Publisher:
- Public Library of Science
- Journal:
- PLoS Pathogens More from this journal
- Volume:
- 19
- Issue:
- 10
- Article number:
- e1011661
- Publication date:
- 2023-10-19
- Acceptance date:
- 2023-10-01
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1553-7374
- ISSN:
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1553-7366
- Pmid:
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37856470
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Subtype:
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Review
- Pubs id:
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1548147
- Local pid:
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pubs:1548147
- Deposit date:
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2024-03-26
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Sriboonvorakul et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2023
- Rights statement:
- Copyright © 2023 Sriboonvorakul et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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