Pretoria - In A call to action to policymakers and scholars on the continent, a group of mostly African microbiologists have highlighted the importance of urgently increasing research into Africa’s woefully understudied microbiomes – microbial communities found in soils, water, plants and the guts of animals and humans.
Africa is trailing in efforts to meet the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) but could catch up by closing the gaps in scientific knowledge of the continent’s microbiomes.
“African biomes are much neglected and previous studies have disproportionately focused on the Global North. There are clear gaps in the current understanding of microbiomes from the Global South, in general, and Africa specifically,” said the group of scientists from Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK and Zimbabwe, writing in the June 2023 edition of the top-rated international journal Nature Reviews Microbiology.
The lead author of the commentary piece, titled “African microbiomes matter”, is Professor Thulani P Makhalanyane, holder of the DSI/NRF SARChI in Marine Microbiomics in the University of Pretoria’s Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology.
Pointing out that microbiomes underpin virtually all ecosystem services of benefit to humans, the scientists emphasise that a robust understanding of microbiomes is essential to attain the SDGs.
However, African biomes, which are believed to be unique, are underexplored. These knowledge gaps complicate efforts to “disentangle” the genetic diversity of African microbial communities and their contribution to human health, biodiversity, agriculture and conservation.
For example, an analysis of agriculture in Africa reveals generally low productivity compared to developed countries. According to the article, this is likely due to a combination of biotic and abiotic factors, such as soil fertility, unchecked pathogen attacks owing to a lack of surveillance, high salinity, increased incidents of droughts and inefficient management practices.
Despite this, Africa’s croplands still have an immense potential to feed an increasing population, especially given the crucial role that beneficial micro-organisms play in plant growth and crop productivity.
“There is some evidence that African ecosystems are some of the most genetically diverse,” the scientists said. This is important because genetic diversity can strengthen resistance to pests, diseases and climate stressors.
Similarly, population studies have shown Africans have higher genetic diversity than non-Africans, and African diets vary substantially from those in the Global North. African diets tend to have a greater reliance on fermented foods, for example. This is likely to result in a substantially varied gut microbiome, which may also harbour as yet undiscovered probiotics.
These and other differences, including communal lifestyles and eating habits (such as chewing sticks for oral hygiene) may directly impact gut microbiota. “These differences may have implications in the development of health care tailored for Africans,” said Makhalanyane and his co-authors.
“We urgently need to understand the implications of this genetic diversity and the connection between plant, animal and human populations in Africa. Such insights are crucial in efforts to attain the SDGs and explore African indigenous knowledge.”
There is an urgent need to launch co-ordinated surveys of African microbiomes, the authors said. To catch up, governments and researchers should focus on strengthening research networks on the African continent, developing science plans and policy documents on microbiome research, and establishing regional infrastructure hubs to support microbiome science.
Pretoria News