Harnessing microbiome and probiotic research in sub-Saharan Africa: recommendations from an African workshop.

Gregor Reid,Rod Adam,Irene I Kavere,William Van Treuren,Remco Kort,Amy Mcmillan,Wilbert Sybesma,Jael Obiero,Seppo Salminen,Daniel Waweru,Stephen Rulisa,Wondu Mamo,Nicholas Nduti,Eeva Salminen,Antony Sije,Pamela Awuor Ochieng ,Gregory B Gloor ,Rocı́o Martı́n ,Amee R Manges ,Johanna F Lindahl ,Eric Brown ,Arnold N Onyango ,Hamadi Iddi Boga ,Jonathan R Swann ,Hani El‐Nezami ,Alexandra W C Einerhand ,Tobias R Kollmann ,Steve Kemp

doi:10.1186/2049-2618-2-12

Abstract

To augment capacity-building for microbiome and probiotic research in Africa, a workshop was held in Nairobi, Kenya, at which researchers discussed human, animal, insect, and agricultural microbiome and probiotics/prebiotics topics. Five recommendations were made to promote future basic and translational research that benefits Africans.

Highlights

A particular nutritious diet might enhance beneficial microbiota to help lower the risk of diarrheal diseases and improve child health. This improved knowledge of the microbial composition provides a new focus to examine the consequences of intervention studies. The importance of this is illustrated by a Swiss-led study in Ivory Coast which showed that was iron fortification through biscuits ineffective for iron-deficiency anemia, but it worsened the unfavorable ratio of fecal Enterobacteriaceae to Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus [15]
Africa is on the verge of novel and exciting research on the microbiome and probiotics
We recommend that partnerships be created or expanded that enable the science, help train personnel, and translate evidence-based solutions in a continual circle of activity which integrates microbiome and probiotic research with products that benefit societies, no matter their cultural diversity

Summary

Introduction

The first study conducted in Africa was based upon 16S rRNA gene sequencing, utilizing Illumina (San Diego, CA), and revealed a microbiome of relatively high diversity in the vagina of Tanzanian women infected with HIV [10] This was followed by an intriguing study of children from a rural village in Burkina Faso, whose high-fiber diet is similar to that eaten in early human settlements at the time of the birth of agriculture [11]; compared to European children, the latter study found a significant enrichment in Bacteroidetes and depletion in Firmicutes (P < 0.001), with a unique abundance of bacteria from the genus Prevotella and Xylanibacter, enriched in bacterial genes for cellulose and xylan hydrolysis.

LOCAL PRODUCTION

27. Mändar R

Findings

60. Yunus M