Gut bacteria, inflammation, and metabolism in heat-related sickness among farmworkers
Official title: Girasoles 2.0: Understanding the Role of Microbiota, Inflammation, and Metabolomics in Heat-related Illness
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11250120 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether gut bacteria, inflammation, and certain blood chemicals are linked to heat-related sickness in people who work in extreme heat.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $714,375 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES034708-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11250120 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adult agricultural workers who routinely labor in extreme heat and are willing to provide blood and stool samples and complete brief health questionnaires.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not exposed to occupational heat, children, or those unwilling to provide biological samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will enroll about 100 agricultural workers who labor in extreme heat and collect blood and stool samples. They will measure gut microbes, short-chain fatty acids, primary and secondary bile acids, plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and inflammatory markers to see how these measures relate to heat illness symptoms. The team will compare people with different levels of heat-related symptoms to look for patterns of gut permeability, bacterial translocation, and metabolic changes. This cross-sectional project builds on long-standing partnerships with farmworker organizations to recruit participants and collect samples in community settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to biological markers or new targets to prevent or treat severe heat-related illness in people who work in hot environments.
How similar studies have gone: Some animal studies and small human reports have suggested links between gut microbes, LPS, and heat illness, but applying comprehensive microbiome and metabolite profiling in a larger group of farmworkers is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hertzberg, Vicki Stover — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Hertzberg, Vicki Stover
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.