Autism spectrum disorder currently affects 1 in 100 children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. For reasons that are still unclear, these numbers appear to be on the rise as researchers and doctors struggle to find effective treatments, according to Neuroscience News. Neuroscience News.
More recently, a new approach to treating symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder has emerged thanks to widespread research into the trillions of non-human cells that inhabit the digestive tract, collectively known as the gut microbiome. The treatment, called germline transfer therapy, is a process in which healthy gut bacteria are transferred to children with autism.
microbial metabolism
In a new study, researchers and colleagues at ASU specifically explored changes in the gut microbiota after transfusion therapy, using whole genome sequencing to monitor changes in bacterial species and genes involved in microbial metabolism.
The researchers found that microbial taxa and genes important for microbial pathways associated with improvements in the physical and behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder improved after treatment with the vector.
Expressive
New technology
In the first research of its kind, the research team used a whole genome sequencing technique known as “shotgun metagenomics” to extract detailed data from more than 5,000 bacterial species found in the gut of children with ASD before and after transfusion of microorganisms. The researchers then compared the results to bacteria in the gut of healthy children.
The results showed a significant improvement in the overall abundance of bacteria after the transfer treatment, confirming previous findings published in Scientific Reports in 2019. There were also significant increases in the populations of beneficial bacterial species normally found in smaller numbers in children with autism.
The results are encouraging because the severity of gastrointestinal dysfunction in children with autism appears to be proportional to the degree of behavioral and cognitive problems, highlighting the importance of the gut-brain axis, a topic of great interest in the world of microbiomes.
Understand the job role
“The study highlights altered levels of important bacterial species and metabolic genes in children with autism and improvements after microbial transfer therapy.
The long-term goal, noted Nirmalakar, is “to understand the functional role of the gut microbiome, bridge the gut axis knowledge gap in autism, and identify therapeutic targets to improve gastrointestinal health and behavior in children with autism.” .
Future research
The researchers are currently conducting phase II trials of microbial transfer therapy for children and adults with autism and plan to test whether these findings hold true in these two studies. Future research is likely to explore the role of specific microbial species, functional gene expression and the production of a range of autism-associated receptors before and after transfusion therapy.
