Functional Food for the Stimulation of the Immune System Against Malaria

Bamgbose, Timothy; Anvikar, Anupkumar R.; Alberdi, Pilar; Abdullahi, Isa O.; Inabo, Helen I.; Bello, Mohammed; Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro; de la Fuente, José

Drug resistance has become a threat to global health, and new interventions are needed to control major infectious diseases. The composition of gut microbiota has been linked to human health and has been associated with severity of malaria. Fermented foods contribute to the community of healthy gut bacteria. Despite the studies connecting gut microbiota to the prevention of malaria transmission and severity, research on developing functional foods for the purpose of manipulating the gut microbiota for malaria control is limited. This review summarizes recent knowledge on the role of the gut microbiota in malaria prevention and treatment. This information should encourage the search for lactic acid bacteria expressing α-Gal and those that exhibit the desired immune stimulating properties for the development of functional food and probiotics for malaria control.