CD40LG and malaria: Evidence for the protective role of gut microbiota against pathogens expressing α-Gal on their surface was initially provided by Yilmaz et al. (2014) [8], who showed that gut colonization by E. coli O86:B7 expressing high levels of α-Gal elicited the production of anti-α-Gal IgM Abs that protected α-Gal-deficient mice against malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes.