title: Molecular characterisation of gastrointestinal microbiota of children with autism (with and without gastrointestinal dysfunction) and their neurotypical siblings.
abstract: Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) suffer from gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain. This has stimulated investigations into possible abnormalities of intestinal microbiota in autistic patients. Therefore, we designed this study to identify differences (and/or similarities) in the microbiota of children with autism (without gastrointestinal dysfunction: n = 23; with gastrointestinal dysfunction: n = 28) and their neurotypical siblings (n = 53) who share a similar environment using bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing. Regardless of the diagnosis and sociodemographic characteristics, overall, Firmicutes (70%), Bacteroidetes (20%) and Proteobacteria (4%) were the most dominant phyla in samples. Results did not indicate clinically meaningful differences between groups. The data do not support the hypothesis that the gastrointestinal microbiota of children with ASD plays a role in the symptomatology of ASD. Other explanations for the gastrointestinal dysfunction in this population should be considered including elevated anxiety and self-restricted diets.
authors.affiliation: Swinburne Autism Bio-Research Initiative (SABRI), Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia. sgondalia@swin.edu.au
authors.forename: Shakuntla V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Gondalia
authors.forename: Enzo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Palombo
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Denny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054892:Metagenome; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D035781:Siblings