Fecal transplants for autism related gastrointestinal symptoms
2019-04-12 18:01:19.169325+02 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
Holy shit! Although there are a lot of potential problems with the study, the magnitude of the shifts is pretty amazing. Autism symptoms reduced nearly 50% two years after fecal transplant. Radical Fecal Transplant Therapy in Kids Has Reduced Their Autism Severity by 47%
The article in Nature: Long-term benefit of Microbiota Transfer Therapy on autism symptoms and gut microbiota:
Many studies have reported abnormal gut microbiota in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), suggesting a link between gut microbiome and autism-like behaviors. Modifying the gut microbiome is a potential route to improve gastrointestinal (GI) and behavioral symptoms in children with ASD, and fecal microbiota transplant could transform the dysbiotic gut microbiome toward a healthy one by delivering a large number of commensal microbes from a healthy donor. We previously performed an open-label trial of Microbiota Transfer Therapy (MTT) that combined antibiotics, a bowel cleanse, a stomach-acid suppressant, and fecal microbiota transplant, and observed significant improvements in GI symptoms, autism-related symptoms, and gut microbiota. Here, we report on a follow-up with the same 18 participants two years after treatment was completed. Notably, most improvements in GI symptoms were maintained, and autism-related symptoms improved even more after the end of treatment. Important changes in gut microbiota at the end of treatment remained at follow-up, including significant increases in bacterial diversity and relative abundances of Bifidobacteria and Prevotella. Our observations demonstrate the long-term safety and efficacy of MTT as a potential therapy to treat children with ASD who have GI problems, and warrant a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in the future.