Long-term benefit of Microbiota Transfer Therapy on autism symptoms and gut microbiota

By Dae-Wook Kang, J. Adams, Devon M. Coleman, Elena L. Pollard, J. Maldonado, Sharon McDonough-Means, J. Caporaso, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown. Scientific Reports, 2019

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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.

Subfields: Infectious Diseases, Molecular Biology, Speech and Hearing

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7ebabdb2344e27104d54862265ff12f0f6ed29c8