Characterization of Intestinal Microbiota and Probiotics Treatment in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders in China

Abstract

Background: Most previous studies have found that human intestinal microbiota affect the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, but regarding this, there is limited data of non-western ethnicity. Probiotics can reconstitute the host intestinal microbiota and strengthen gastrointestinal function, however, clinical data proving the effect of probiotics treatment on ASD is lacking.Methods: This study explored the significant differences between ASD and neurotypical (NT), and the improvement of applied behavior analysis (ABA) training in combination with probiotics, vs. ABA training only.Results: We found significant differences between the ASD group and the NT group in the evenness of the intestinal microbiota and the relative abundance of the bacterial phyla and genus. At the phylum level, relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in the ASD group was significantly lower than in the NT group. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus, Roseburia, and Blautia in the ASD group was significantly lower than that in the NT group. After a 4-week ABA training program in combination with probiotics treatment, the ATEC and GI scores decreased more than the control group with ABA training only.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that intestinal microbiota is different between the NT children and the ASD children with or without GI problems. In combination with ABA training, probiotics treatment can bring more benefit to ASD children. Clinical trials with a more rigorous design and larger sample size are indispensable for further validation.

Gut Bacteria Shared by Children and Their Mothers Associate with Developmental Level and Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…For example, the numbers of specific gut bacteria, which were predominantly from the family Lachnospiraceae and the genus Bacteroides , decreased in ASD children. These results were consistent with previous studies that reported the abundances of this family and genus were decreased in Chinese ASD children ( 24 , 25 ). However, a previous study, involving a Spanish cohort, showed that the abundance of Bacteroides increased in ASD children, which is inconsistent with our finding ( 26 ).…”

Alteration of Gut Microbiota in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Overview

“…The improvement lasted up to 9 months after discontinuation of treatment. Niu et al [148] applied a combination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) training and probiotic administration for 4 weeks in children with ASD. Although it was difficult to distinguish from the effects of ABA, the results showed that the symptoms of ASD patients taking probiotics, as measured by the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist, improved.…”

Dysbiotic Gut Microbiota and Dysregulation of Cytokine Profile in Children and Teens With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and gut microbiome dysbiosis are common comorbidities seen in individuals with ASD and are known to be correlated with the behavioral severity of ASD ( Wasilewska and Klukowski, 2015 ; Fattorusso et al, 2019 ). In particular, dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ( Rosenfeld, 2015 ; Niu et al, 2019 ). As attempts to characterize the disturbed ASD microbiome, previous studies have indicated increased amounts of pathogenic bacteria, such as select species from the clostridium genus, and reduced amounts of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium ( Rosenfeld, 2015 ; Niu et al, 2019 ).…”

“…In particular, dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ( Rosenfeld, 2015 ; Niu et al, 2019 ). As attempts to characterize the disturbed ASD microbiome, previous studies have indicated increased amounts of pathogenic bacteria, such as select species from the clostridium genus, and reduced amounts of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium ( Rosenfeld, 2015 ; Niu et al, 2019 ). Some of these signature changes showed potential utility in assisting early diagnosis of ASD and in the characterization of ASD subtypes ( Kong et al, 2019 ).…”