Radical fecal transplant therapy in children reduced the severity of autism by 47%

Transforming the microbial environment into the bowels of children with autism could dramatically reduce the severity of their disease's signature traits, according to recent research published.

A study on the effects of a form of fecal transplant treatment in children on the autism spectrum revealed that participants not only had fewer bowel problems, but continued to show continuous improvement in symptoms of autism two years after the procedure.

Researchers at Arizona State University had previously discovered that a dose of healthy intestinal microflora caused attenuation or disappearance of features badociated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for at least two months after the end of treatment.

But to be taken seriously as a potential therapy, long-term improvements were needed. So, a return to the initial group of volunteers for another review was in order.

It turned out that these new microbes settled well.

"In our original article of 2017, we reported an increase in intestinal diversity as well as beneficial bacteria after microbiota transfer therapy (MTT) .Once two years, we observed even greater diversity and the presence of microbes benefits remained, "says biotechnologist Dae -Wook Kang.

The intestine may seem like a strange place to start developing therapies that help people with a neurological condition such as autism.

But in addition to its defining characteristics of impaired social and communication skills, sensory problems and reduced physical strength and motor control, up to half of people with ASD may suffer from intestinal problems.

"Many children with autism have gastrointestinal problems and some studies, including ours, have shown that these children also have more severe symptoms related to autism," says Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown , environmental engineer.

Previous studies have repeatedly emphasized the potential benefits of replacing one "bad" microbial community with another, using probiotics or antibiotics.

Most showed promising short-term effects, suggesting that there was still much to be done in terms of intestinal therapies.

"In many cases, when you are able to treat these gastrointestinal problems, their behavior improves," says Krajmalnik-Brown.

In an attempt to obtain a longer-term result, the researchers released the big guns. Forgetting to drop some microbial tourists or kill a handful of troublemakers – they left for a mbad migration.

Using a personalized process of intestinal microflora transplantation called microbiota transfer therapy, the researchers offered 18 children ages 7 to 16 a belly full of new microorganisms.

All volunteers had both a diagnosis of autism and moderate to severe gastrointestinal problems. This group was compared to 20 equivalent control subjects who had no bowel diagnosis or diagnosis of ASD.

Both were treated for 10 weeks and then had follow-up testing sessions for an additional 8 weeks.

While the experience has not been blinded, we must be careful in the way we badyze the results. Placebo effects can not be excluded in such cases.

But baderting that they were "promising" is not too strong a claim to make. Not only did children experience an 80% reduction in gastrointestinal symptoms, but they also showed significant improvements when tested with current ASD diagnostic tools.

Two years later, these same tests indicate that the conditions are only improving.

"The team's new publication indicates that the study showed that, two years after the end of treatment, participants still had an average 58% reduction in gastrointestinal symptoms from baseline." says Krajmalnik-Brown.

"In addition, most participants' parents reported a slow but steady improvement in the main symptoms of ASD."

An external evaluation using a standard TSA diagnostic tool concluded that 83% of the initial test group could be considered severe on the autism spectrum. Two years later, this proportion had dropped to 17%.

Surprisingly, 44% no longer managed to rank among the softest of the spectrum.

Overall, the evaluator determined that the severity of ASD traits had been reduced by 47% compared to the baseline.

For a therapy that has virtually no side effects and makes such remarkable improvements to the challenges that many people with ASD are struggling to cope with, it is certainly a treatment that will continue to thrive. 39, attract attention for future research.

Fecal transplants may seem a little rough, but you can also get used to them. We will certainly see them used for a variety of things in the future, from the treatment of superbugs to winning sports.

Now that we are learning that our neurological health is intimately related to our digestive system, transplanting microbial communities from a healthy gut is considered the next step in the treatment of brain disorders.

This does not mean that the microflora causes autism. It is a complex disease that finds its roots in a wide range of genes and environmental influences that stimulate brain development early in life.

But if we can exchange some of these influences, perhaps we could make life a little easier for those who need it.

This research was published in Scientific reports.