Autism Studies and Related Medical Conditions, January 2009 - TACA

micro-organisms. The faecal flora of patients with ASDs was studied and compared
with those of two control groups (healthy siblings and unrelated healthy
children). Faecal bacterial populations were assessed through the use of a
culture-independent technique, fluorescence in situ hybridization, using
oligonucleotide probes targeting predominant components of the gut flora. The
faecal flora of ASD patients contained a higher incidence of the Clostridium
histolyticum group (Clostridium clusters I and II) of bacteria than that of
healthy children. However, the non-autistic sibling group had an intermediate
level of the C. histolyticum group, which was not significantly different from
either of the other subject groups. Members of the C. histolyticum group are
recognized toxin-producers and may contribute towards gut dysfunction, with their
metabolic products also exerting systemic effects. Strategies to reduce
clostridial population levels harboured by ASD patients or to improve their gut
microflora profile through dietary modulation may help to alleviate gut disorders
common in such patients.
Publication Types:
Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PMID: 16157555 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4: Arch Neurol. 1981 Mar;38(3):191-4.
Acquired reversible autistic syndrome in acute encephalopathic illness in
children.
DeLong GR, Bean SC, Brown FR 3rd.
In seeking the neurologic substrate of the autistic syndrome of childhood,
previous studies have implicated the medial temporal lobe or the ring of
mesolimbic cortex located in the mesial frontal and temporal lobes. During an
acute encephalopathic illness, a clinical picture developed in three children
that was consistent with infantile autism. This development was reversible. It
was differentiated from acquired epileptic aphasia, and the language disorder was
differentiated aphasia. One child has rises in serum herpes simplex titers, and a
computerized tomographic (CT) scan revealed an extensive lesion of the temporal
lobes, predominantly on the left. The other two, with similar clinical syndromes,
had normal CT scans, and no etiologic agent was defined. These cases are examples
of an acquired and reversible autistic syndrome in childhood, emphasizing the
clinical similarities to bilateral medial temporal lobe disease as described in
man, including the Klüver-Bucy syndrome seen in postencephalitic as well as
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