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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Parasitic infections are a common problem in developing countries and can intensify morbidity in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), increasing the severity of anemia and the need for transfusions. It has been demonstrated that both helminths and protozoa can affect gut microbiome composition. On the other hand, the presence of specific bacterial communities can also influence parasite establishment. Considering this, our aim was to associate the presence of intestinal parasites with the results of hematological analyses and microbiome composition evaluations in a population of Angolan children with and without SCD. A total of 113 stool samples were collected, and gut microbiome analysis was performed using 16S sequencing and real-time PCR to detect eight different intestinal parasites. In our population, more than half of children (55%) had at least one parasitic infection, and of these, 43% were co-infected. Giardia intestinalis and Ascaris lumbricoides were more frequently found in children from the rural area of Bengo. Moreover, SCD children with ascariasis exhibited higher values of leukocytes and neutrophils, whereas the total hemoglobin levels were lower. In regards to the gut microbiome, the presence of intestinal parasites lowered the prevalence of some beneficial bacteria, namely: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Cuneatibacter, Bacteroides uniformis, Roseburia, and Shuttleworthia. This study presents the prevalence of several intestinal parasites in a high-risk transmission area with scarce information and opens new perspectives for understanding the interaction between parasites, the microbiome, and SCD.
Description
This work was funded by the following grants: IPL/IDI&CA2022/ParasitSCD, FCT/Aga Khan (project no. 330842553), and FCT/MCTES (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05608/2020 and
https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/05608/2020)-H&TRC. Author M.D. has received financial support
from an FCT research fellowship UI/BD/150705/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UI/BD/150705/2020).
Keywords
Ascaris lumbricoides Bifidobacterium Giardia intestinalis Lactobacillus Parasitic infections Gut microbiome Sickle cell disease Children Angola IPL/IDI&CA2022/ParasitSCD FCT/Aga Khan (project no. 330842553) FCT_UIDB/05608/2020 FCT_UIDP/05608/2020
Citation
Delgadinho M, Ginete C, Santos B, Vasconcelos JN, Arez AP, Brito M. Sickle cell disease and gut health: the influence of intestinal parasites and the microbiome on Angolan children. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(13):7258.
Publisher
MDPI