A study of 575 people in Cameroon has shown that the presence of gut parasites is strongly associated with gut microbiome structure, which suggests that modulating the microbiome may reduce the risk of parasitic infections.
Experts think that almost one-quarter of the world’s population is infected with a gut parasite of some kind. Humans evolved with parasitic worms, which have driven genetic diversity in people more than climate, diet, bacteria, or viruses.
Today, tapeworm infections remain relatively common, but industrialized countries have relatively low rates of gastrointestinal parasites overall, thanks to a shift to working in more sanitized conditions and away from the land.
However, in rural populations with more traditional lifestyles, intestinal parasites remain a part of daily life. The effect that this has on the gut — and, more precisely, the community of “good” bacteria living there — is so far unknown.
In a new study that appears in the journal Genome Biology, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, PA, led a research team investigating the connection between parasites and the microbiome in people from Cameroon in Central Africa.
They found that the presence of a parasitic infection was strongly linked to the composition of the gut microbiome. In some cases, the microbiome could predict the presence of gut parasites with 80% accuracy.
The microbiome describes the community of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies and perform fundamental roles, such as protecting the body from pathogens, breaking down food, and producing vitamins. The researchers behind the new study investigated the link between these helpful bacteria and parasitic infections in 575 people from Cameroon.
The participants came from nine different villages, among which the typical lifestyle varied. For example, Mbororo Fulani pastoralists herd cattle and have a diet rich in meat and dairy. In contrast, Bak