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BacteriainthegutofautisticchildrendifferentfromnonautisticchildrenScienceDaily

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Bacteriainthegutofautisticchildrendifferentfromnonautistic
children
Date:
Source:
Summary:

January11,2012
AmericanSocietyforMicrobiology
Theunderlyingreasonautismisoftenassociatedwithgastrointestinalproblemsisanunknown,
butnewresultsrevealthatthegutsofautisticchildrendifferfromotherchildreninatleastone
importantway:manychildrenwithautismharboratypeofbacteriaintheirgutsthatnonautistic
childrendonot.

FULLSTORY

Theunderlyingreasonautismisoftenassociatedwithgastrointestinalproblemsisan
unknown,butnewresultstobepublishedintheonlinejournalmBioonJanuary10
revealthatthegutsofautisticchildrendifferfromotherchildreninatleastoneimportant
way:manychildrenwithautismharboratypeofbacteriaintheirgutsthatnonautistic
childrendonot.
ThestudywasconductedbyBrentWilliamsandcolleaguesattheMailmanSchoolofPublicHealthatColumbia
University.
Earlierworkhasrevealedthatautisticindividualswithgastrointestinalsymptomsoftenexhibitinflammationand
otherabnormalitiesintheirupperandlowerintestinaltracts.However,scientistsdonotknowwhatcausesthe
inflammationorhowtheconditionrelatestothedevelopmentaldisordersthatcharacterizeautism.Theresearch
resultsappearinginmBioindicatethecommunitiesofmicroorganismsthatresideinthegutofautisticchildren
withgastrointestinalproblemsaredifferentthanthecommunitiesofnonautisticchildren.Whetherornotthese
differencesareacauseoreffectofautismremainstobeseen.
"Therelationshipbetweendifferentmicroorganismsandthehostandtheoutcomesfordiseaseand
developmentisanexcitingissue,"saysChristineA.Biron,theBrintzenhoffProfessorofMedicalScienceat
BrownUniversityandeditorofthestudy."Thispaperisimportantbecauseitstartstoadvancethequestionof
howtheresidentmicrobesinteractwithadisorderthatispoorlyunderstood."
BacteriabelongingtothegroupSutterellarepresentedarelativelylargeproportionofthemicroorganismsfound
in12of23tissuesamplesfromthegutsofautisticchildren,buttheseorganismswerenotdetectedinany
samplesfromnonautisticchildren.Whythisorganismispresentonlyinautistickidswithgastrointestinal
problemsandnotinunaffectedkidsisunclear.
"Sutterellahasbeenassociatedwithgastrointestinaldiseasesbelowthediaphragm,andwhetherit'sa
pathogenornotisstillnotclear,"explainsJorgeBenach,ChairmanoftheDepartmentofMicrobiologyatStony
BrookUniversityandareviewerofthereport."Itisnotaverywellknownbacterium."

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BacteriainthegutofautisticchildrendifferentfromnonautisticchildrenScienceDaily

Inchildrenwithautism,digestiveproblemscanbequiteseriousandcancontributetobehavioralproblems,
makingitdifficultfordoctorsandtherapiststohelptheirpatients.Autism,itself,ispoorlyunderstood,butthe
frequentlinkagebetweenthissetofdevelopmentaldisordersandproblemsinthegutisevenlessso.
Benachsaysthestudywasuniquelypowerfulbecausetheyusedtissuesamplesfromthegutsofpatients.
"Mostworkthathasbeendonelinkingthegutmicrobiomewithautismhasbeendonewithstoolsamples,"says
Benach,butthemicroorganismsshedinstooldon'tnecessarilyrepresentthemicrobesthatlinetheintestinal
wall."Whatmayshowupinastoolsamplemaybedifferentfromwhatisdirectlyattachedtothetissue,"he
says.
Tissuebiopsysamplesrequiresurgerytoacquireandrepresentadifficultprocessforthepatient,factsthat
underscoretheseriousnessofthegastrointestinalproblemsmanyautisticchildrenandtheirfamiliesmustcope
with.
Benachemphasizesthatthestudyisstatisticallypowerful,butfutureworkisneededtodeterminewhatrole
Sutterellaplays,ifany,intheproblemsinthegut."Itisanobservationthatneedstobefollowedthrough,"says
Benach.

StorySource:
TheabovepostisreprintedfrommaterialsprovidedbyAmericanSocietyforMicrobiology.Note:Content
maybeeditedforstyleandlength.

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AmericanSocietyforMicrobiology."Bacteriainthegutofautisticchildrendifferentfromnonautisticchildren."
ScienceDaily.ScienceDaily,11January2012.<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211825.htm>.

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