NEW ARTICLE PRESENTS RESULTS ON ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MALARIA AND HELMINTH CO-INFECTION

Inócencia Cuamba, Primeira autora do artigo

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of illness and mortality among children in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Mozambique, where transmission remains high in several regions of the country. In parallel, helminth infections,intestinal parasites common in low-resource settings,often coexist within the same populations, creating a complex scenario of multiple infections interacting within the human body. Despite this overlap, significant challenges remain in understanding how these infections mutually influence disease progression and immune response.

A recently published article by Inocência Cuamba, a researcher at the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), co-authored with other scientists, presents important evidence on the impact of helminth co-infection on malaria in children. The study, which constitutes the main paper of her doctoral thesis, was published in the journal BMC Medicine.

The research analysed data from 441 children aged 2 to 10 years in the Manhiça district,one of the areas with persistent transmission,and was based on data from the ECOHEMA project (Study of co-infection between helminths and malaria and its implications on immune responses against malaria).

The results indicate that children with simultaneous helminth and malaria infections had significantly lower parasite levels in the blood compared to those infected with malaria alone. This reduction in parasite load was also associated with less severe symptoms, namely lower body temperatures, suggesting potentially milder clinical episodes.

Among the 74 children diagnosed with malaria, around 22% had co-infection with soil-transmitted helminths, while the majority were infected only with Plasmodium falciparum. Co-infection was associated with lower parasite density and reduced fever, two important indicators of disease severity.

From an immunological perspective, the team observed that co-infection was associated with an overall reduction in inflammatory cytokines,substances produced by the immune system that, although essential in fighting infection, are often linked to more severe malaria manifestations when present at high levels. These findings suggest that helminths may play a modulatory role by reducing excessive inflammation.

“This study, conducted in collaboration with ISGlobal as part of my doctoral programme, is particularly important because it helps clarify how common infections in our setting may influence the way children respond to malaria,” said Inocência Cuamba. According to Gemma Moncunill, ISGlobal researcher and co-author of the article, “the results show that these interactions are more complex than previously thought and may even contribute to reducing malaria severity. Better understanding these mechanisms is essential to guide more integrated and effective public health interventions in Mozambique and other countries with similar contexts.”

In parallel, the study found increased levels of specific antibodies against the malaria parasite in co-infected children, which may indicate a more effective and potentially protective immune response. “This combination of lower inflammation and stronger antibody responses raises new hypotheses about the role of co-infections in building immunity in endemic settings,” said Carlota Dobaño, researcher and senior author of the article.

The ECOHEMA project was implemented between 2015 and 2016 in Manhiça, with funding from the National Research Fund. The immunological component of the study was conducted between 2021 and 2025 at the ISGlobal Malaria Immunology Group laboratory, with support from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funding from the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund, under the Health Research Fund. Additionally, this component benefited from support from the Severo Ochoa programme, an initiative of the Spanish government, which funded Inocência Cuamba’s doctoral studies.

Reference

• Cuamba, I., Santano, R., Grau-Pujol, B. et al. Helminth coinfections mitigate clinical, parasitological, and immune outcomes in Mozambican children with malaria. BMC Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04827-7