The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship

In recent years, the role of gut microbiota in modulating malaria susceptibility and infection progression has emerged as a pivotal focus in interdisciplinary research. While existing reviews have delineated mechanisms by which mosquito-associated gut microbiota regulate Plasmodium development, a sy...

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Main Authors: Shanli He, Yanwei Qi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1615846/full
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author Shanli He
Yanwei Qi
author_facet Shanli He
Yanwei Qi
author_sort Shanli He
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, the role of gut microbiota in modulating malaria susceptibility and infection progression has emerged as a pivotal focus in interdisciplinary research. While existing reviews have delineated mechanisms by which mosquito-associated gut microbiota regulate Plasmodium development, a systematic synthesis of the tripartite interplay among host gut microbiota, Plasmodium and host immunometabolic networks remains absent. Compared with previous studies predominantly focusing on single species or unitary mechanisms, this review fills the gap in cross-species integrated analysis of host-microbiota-pathogen interactions. By consolidating metagenomic, metabolomic, and immunological data, this review transitions from unitary mechanistic explanations to multi-omics-driven systematic analyses, demonstrating that murine microbiota suppresses Plasmodium proliferation through adaptive immune activation and metabolic product regulation. Meanwhile, Plasmodium infection induces decreased microbial diversity and functional pathway deviation in murine microbiota, exacerbating host immunometabolic imbalance. These advancements not only elucidate core biological principles governing “microbiota-host-pathogen” interactions but also transcend traditional pathogen-centric perspectives by pioneering precise intervention strategies based on microbiota homeostasis restoration. This provides theoretical foundation for developing microbiome-targeted precision prevention approaches, which will continue to make substantial contributions to malaria research.
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spelling doaj-art-9e90ffbf96b342ee9a03edafb16a3ab92025-08-20T03:07:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-06-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.16158461615846The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationshipShanli He0Yanwei Qi1The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, ChinaDepartment of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, ChinaIn recent years, the role of gut microbiota in modulating malaria susceptibility and infection progression has emerged as a pivotal focus in interdisciplinary research. While existing reviews have delineated mechanisms by which mosquito-associated gut microbiota regulate Plasmodium development, a systematic synthesis of the tripartite interplay among host gut microbiota, Plasmodium and host immunometabolic networks remains absent. Compared with previous studies predominantly focusing on single species or unitary mechanisms, this review fills the gap in cross-species integrated analysis of host-microbiota-pathogen interactions. By consolidating metagenomic, metabolomic, and immunological data, this review transitions from unitary mechanistic explanations to multi-omics-driven systematic analyses, demonstrating that murine microbiota suppresses Plasmodium proliferation through adaptive immune activation and metabolic product regulation. Meanwhile, Plasmodium infection induces decreased microbial diversity and functional pathway deviation in murine microbiota, exacerbating host immunometabolic imbalance. These advancements not only elucidate core biological principles governing “microbiota-host-pathogen” interactions but also transcend traditional pathogen-centric perspectives by pioneering precise intervention strategies based on microbiota homeostasis restoration. This provides theoretical foundation for developing microbiome-targeted precision prevention approaches, which will continue to make substantial contributions to malaria research.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1615846/fullPlasmodiummalariagut microbiotamiceimmune responsemetabolic regulation
spellingShingle Shanli He
Yanwei Qi
The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
Frontiers in Microbiology
Plasmodium
malaria
gut microbiota
mice
immune response
metabolic regulation
title The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
title_full The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
title_fullStr The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
title_full_unstemmed The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
title_short The microbiota, the malarial parasite, and the mice—a three-sided relationship
title_sort microbiota the malarial parasite and the mice a three sided relationship
topic Plasmodium
malaria
gut microbiota
mice
immune response
metabolic regulation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1615846/full
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