Plasmodium berghei ANKA causes intestinal malaria associated with dysbiosis.
Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, are frequently observed in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, the correlation between malaria intestinal pathology and intestinal microbiota has not been investigated. In the present study, infection of C57BL/6 mice with P. berghei ANKA (PbA) caused intestinal pathological changes, such as detachment of epithelia in the small intestines and increased intestinal permeability, which correlated with development with experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). Notably, an apparent dysbiosis occurred, characterized by a reduction of Firmicutes and an increase in Proteobacteria. Furthermore, some genera of microbiota correlated with parasite growth and/or ECM development. By contrast, BALB/c mice are resistant to ECM and exhibit milder intestinal pathology and dysbiosis. These results indicate that the severity of cerebral and intestinal pathology coincides with the degree of alteration in microbiota. This is the first report demonstrating that malaria affects intestinal microbiota and causes dysbiosis.
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.|Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Tomoyo
T
Taniguchi
Laboratory for Intestinal Ecosystem, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
Eiji
E
Miyauchi
Department of Genome Informatics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Shota
S
Nakamura
Department of Molecular and Cellular Parasitology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
Makoto
M
Hirai
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Kazutomo
K
Suzue
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Takashi
T
Imai
Department of Bacteriology and Laboratory of Bacterial Drug Resistance, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Takahiro
T
Nomura
Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-19-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan.
Tadashi
T
Handa
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Hiroko
H
Okada
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Chikako
C
Shimokawa
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Risa
R
Onishi
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Alex
A
Olia
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Jun
J
Hirata
Department of Bacteriology and Laboratory of Bacterial Drug Resistance, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Haruyoshi
H
Tomita
Laboratory for Intestinal Ecosystem, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Ohno
Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Toshihiro
T
Horii
Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
Hajime
H
Hisaeda
D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D064806:Dysbiosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D000068536:Bacillota / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008288:Malaria / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D064307:Microbiota; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000502:physiology*; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S