A petri dish with bacteria from a stool sample. The researchers found a number of bacteria, fungi and viruses in fecal samples from children that were altered in children with autism. Photo Credit: Picture Alliance via Getty Images
Health The WorldWhen Diagnosing Autism, Trust the Gut!
According to a new study, a link exists between gut microbes and autism in children, and the findings could lead to earlier and more precise autism diagnoses due to a quicker and more straightforward process.
“Usually, it takes three to four years to make a confirmed diagnosis for suspected autism, with most children diagnosed at six years old,” explains Qi Su, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “Our microbiome biomarker panel has a high performance in children under the age of four, which may help facilitate an early diagnosis.”
Upon analyzing the gut microbiome of 1,627 children between the ages of 1 and 13 – with and without autism – 14 archaea, 51 bacteria, seven fungi, 18 viruses, 27 microbial genes, and 12 metabolic pathways were altered in autistic subjects. Using machine learning tools, the researchers identified children with autism based on their gut microbes with up to 82% accuracy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that impairs communication, interaction, and learning. The earlier autism is diagnosed, the better social and behavioural outcomes are. Stool samples containing information about the gut microbiome could soon be used as diagnostic tests for autism. “The microbiome might be a fundamental piece of the autism puzzle,” says Gaspar Taroncher-Oldenburg, microbiologist at New York University, who studied links between gut microbes and autism.
