Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41173910›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Gut bacterial dysbiosis in pediatric severe malaria associates with post-discharge mortality.

Olivia J Bednarski, Sawyer B Lehman, David Mzinza, Caroline Kazinga, Ruth Namazzi, Robert O Opoka, Jie Ren, Tuan M Tran, Terrie E Taylor, Karl B Seydel and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Not All Forms of Severe Malaria Impair Long-term Cognition-More Characterization, More Questions.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. The gut microbiome in early life predicts malaria susceptibility.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Olivia J BednarskiRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-8461
Sawyer B LehmanRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
David MzinzaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology, Limbe, Malawi.
Caroline KazingaDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Ruth NamazziDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Robert O OpokaDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Jie RenDepartment of Biostatistics & Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7823-6262
Tuan M TranRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1928-861X
Terrie E TaylorBlantyre Malaria Project, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7416-3986
Karl B SeydelBlantyre Malaria Project, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Chandy C JohnRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1634-1411
Andrea L ConroyRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5328-6511
Nathan W SchmidtRyan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. nwschmid@iu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7325-4536

Funding

Severe Malaria And Risk to The Brain (SMART Brain)R01NS055349 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · PI Chandy C. John, Ruth Namazzi · 2008 to 2026
$11.2M
Indiana Medical Scientist/Engineer Training ProgramT32GM148382 · NIGMS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI Benjamin Gaston, Emily K Sims · 2023 to 2026
$3.9M
Gut microbiota and human malariaR01AI148525 · NIAID · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI JOHN, CHANDY C., SCHMIDT, NATHAN · 2020 to 2024
$3.6M
NRSA Training CoreTL1TR002531 · NCATS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI FOTI, DANIEL JUSTIN, HURLEY, THOMAS D. · 2018 to 2022
$2.5M
Research training in infection, nutrition and neurodevelopment in UgandaD43TW010928 · FIC · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI Chandy C. John · 2018 to 2026
$1.9M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW010928NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR002531NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI148525NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM148382NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS055349U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) D43TW010928U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01NS055349U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32GM148382
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Gut microbiota have been implicated in severe malaria in murine models, but their contribution to the pathogenesis of severe malaria in children is unknown. Here we show through analysis of gut bacteria in stool samples from two separate African studies enrolling children with severe malaria, and children from local communities, that children with severe malaria have gut bacteria dysbiosis. Among children with severe malaria, there is increased abundance of Enterobacteriaceae that associates with multiple clinical complications of severe malaria. Moreover, increased abundance of Escherichia coli was a predictor of post-discharge mortality. Metagenome analysis identify elevated metabolic pathways and genes supporting the utilization of host-derived molecules in children with severe malaria that have the potential to promote the survival and growth of Enterobacteriaceae. Treatments that target Enterobacteriaceae may have the potential to reduce post-discharge mortality in children with severe malaria.

Indexed as

DysbiosisGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMalaria, FalciparumCase-Control StudiesChildChild, PreschoolDNA, BacterialEnterobacteriaceaeEscherichia coliFecesFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHost Microbial InteractionsHumansInfantMalawiDNA, BacterialRNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Identifiers

PMID41173910
PMCPMC12578976

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.