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New and preliminary evidence on altered oral and gut microbiota in individuals with autismspectrum disorder (ASD): implications for asd diagnosis and subtyping based on microbial biomarkers
The objective of this 2019 pilot study was to characterize the oral and gut microbiome of patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and to compare these features with those of typically developed individuals. In addition, Kong et al. looked at the use of microbiome markers for ASD diagnosis and subtyping of clinical comorbid conditions. Another aim was to develop microbiome biomarkers that would help subsequent clinical trials report their findings on probiotic supplementation. The authors found that previous studies had paid little attention to the oral bacteria of patients. The results indicated distinct features in the gut and salivary microbiota, with variations found between typically developed people and autistic patients. Moreover, this present study attempted to find out microbiome characteristics associated with clinical subtypes such as allergies, abdominal pain, and abnormal dietary habits. The researchers determined that the diagnosis of ASD is potentially highly subjective, with a high level of reliance on psychological testing. Hopefully, the preliminary evidence for developing microbial markers presented in this study can be used to diagnose or guide therapy of ASD and comorbid conditions. Furthermore, these preliminary results can help future research with experiments such as testing whether modifying the gut and oral microbiome can improve co-morbid conditions in patients with ASD, and positively affect ASD symptomatology. [NPID: ASD, autism, autism spectrum disorder, autistic, gut microbiome, oral health, mouth bacteria, mouth microbiome, gut microbiota, gut health, gastrointestinal, GI]
Year: 2019
