Fungi
ABSTRACT Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms often affect children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and GI symptoms have been associated with an abnormal fecal microbiome. There is limited evidence of Candida species being more prevalent in children with ASD. We enrolled 20 children with ASD and GI s...
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| Published in | Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition Vol. 74; no. 3; pp. 377 - 382 |
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| Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
01.03.2022
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | ABSTRACT
Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms often affect children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and GI symptoms have been associated with an abnormal fecal microbiome. There is limited evidence of Candida species being more prevalent in children with ASD. We enrolled 20 children with ASD and GI symptoms (ASD + GI), 10 children with ASD but no GI symptoms (ASD − GI), and 20 from typically developing (TD) children in this pilot study. Fecal mycobiome taxa were analyzed by Internal Transcribed Spacer sequencing. GI symptoms (GI Severity Index [GSI]), behavioral symptoms (Social Responsiveness Scale ‐2 [SRS‐2]), inflammation and fungal immunity (fecal calprotectin and serum dectin‐1 [ELISA]) were evaluated. We observed no changes in the abundance of total fungal species (alpha diversity) between groups. Samples with identifiable Candida spp. were present in 4 of 19 (21%) ASD + GI, in 5 of 9 (56%) ASD − GI, and in 4 of 16 (25%) TD children (overall P = 0.18). The presence of Candida spp. did not correlate with behavioral or GI symptoms (P = 0.38, P = 0.5, respectively). Fecal calprotectin was normal in all but one child. Finally, there was no significance in serum dectin‐1 levels, suggesting no increased fungal immunity in children with ASD. Our data suggest that fungi are present at normal levels in the stool of children with ASD and are not associated with gut inflammation. |
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| Bibliography: | Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text, and links to the digital files are provided in the HTML text of this article on the journal's Web site D.A.P. has received travel reimbursement and research support from Curemark LLC; research support from Biomarin and Novartis, and has served as a consultant to Curemark LLC. R.M. has received research support from Curemark LLC. Although D.A.P. and R.M. have these conflicts, none of which directly relates to the topic of this paper. The other authors report no conflict of interest. ClinicalTrials.gov Supported by the Texas Higher Education Control Board (#19436) and National Institutes of Health (RO1 HD095158) [to J.M.R.]. Data sharing statement: Five years after enrollment of the final subject in this study, the complete study data files with sufficient data documentation for proper analysis, will be made available to the public on a secure website requiring password identification for access. The final datasets will be stripped of identifiers before release for sharing, to ensure that the confidentiality of all subjects is maintained and that the data is used only for research. We will also require a data sharing agreement from all who wish to make use of the data, which provides for a commitment to using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; using best statistical and ethical practices in analyzing and reporting finding; securing the data using appropriate information technology; crediting the source and the funding agencies of the original project in all publications and presentations; and destroying or returning the data after analyses are completed. www.jpgn.org . Identifier: NCT03494088. |
| ISSN: | 0277-2116 1536-4801 |
| DOI: | 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003349 |