Malaria has long been characterised as a febrile, flu-like illness, but it’s increasingly recognised that patients—even those with some immunity—can present with severe gastroenteritis and vomiting. This suggests that the gut plays a much bigger role in malaria than we once thought. Severe forms such as cerebral or algid malaria often involve parasites sequestering within the intestinal microvasculature, but it’s still unclear what happens in the gut during uncomplicated or asymptomatic infections. Many people in endemic regions carry parasites without symptoms, yet show signs of intestinal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability, which may predispose them to subsequent bacterial infections, though we don’t yet know why. 

The gut microbiota adds another layer to this picture. It has been shown to offer protection in some cases, yet it also changes significantly during infection in both mice and humans. Whether the parasite alters the microbiome directly, or these shifts occur indirectly through systemic inflammation, remains an open question. 

I’ve recently graduated from Edinburgh’s brilliant undergraduate immunology course, where I did my honours project with Professor Alex Rowe on sequestration and cerebral Malaria variants of PfEMP1. In my EASTBIO project, I’ll be continuing the great work already done in the lab on the intestinal immune response to malaria, with a focus on these host-pathogen interactions to understand their consequences and influence on disease outcomes. 

In my spare time, I love hiking and am an enthusiastic (if amateur) boulderer. I’m also passionate about keeping science relevant through policy and outreach so I'm usually glued to news and current affairs. Occasionally, I like to show off my (mediocre) bar skills while helping run the student’s association as a Duty Manager - just one of the ways I’ve enjoyed contributing to student life outside the lab. When I need to unwind, you’ll probably find me playing games like Elden Ring or cooking up some form of stew or sauce. 

Email: Jakub.Teahan@ed.ac.uk