Cited by 266Gut microbiota and healthAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGastrointestinal motility and disorders

Gut Microbiota Features in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Coretti, Lorena, Paparo, Lorella, Riccio, Maria Pia, Amato, Felice, Cuomo, Mariella, Natale, Alessandro, Borrelli, Luca, Corrado, Giusi +8 more·2018·Frontiers in Microbiology

Abstract

Proliferation and/or depletion of clusters of specific bacteria regulate intestinal functions and may interfere with neuro-immune communication and behavior in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Consistently, qualitative and quantitative alteration of bacterial metabolites may functionally affect ASD pathophysiology. Up to date, age-restricted cohort studies, that may potentially help to identify specific microbial signatures in ASD, are lacking. We investigated the gut microbiota (GM) structure and fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in a cohort of young children (2-4 years of age) with ASD, with respect to age-matched neurotypical healthy controls. Strong increase of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria and decrease of Actinobacteria was observed in these patients. Among the 91 OTUs whose relative abundance was altered in ASD patients, we observed a striking depletion of Bifidobacterium longum, one of the dominant bacteria in infant GM and, conversely, an increase of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a late colonizer of healthy human gut and a major butyrate producer. High levels of F. prausnitzii were associated to increase of fecal butyrate levels within normal range, and over representation of KEGG functions related to butyrate production in ASD patients. Here we report unbalance of GM structure with a shift in colonization by gut beneficial bacterial species in ASD patients as off early childhood.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03146

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  • The prevalence of certain bacterial families, including Coriobacteriaceae, Actinomycetaceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae, has been observed to decline in individuals with ASD compared to the general population.

    “Studies indicate that the prevalence of certain bacterial families, including Coriobacteriaceae, Actinomycetaceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae, has been observed to decline in individuals with ASD compared to those in the general population [8,101].”
  • Coretti et al. described a decrease in the populations of Corynebacterium and Actinomyces in individuals with ASD, while other authors have shown that the population of these bacteria should be elevated.

    “Coretti et al. described a decrease in the populations of Corynebacterium and Actinomyces in individuals with ASD; nevertheless, other authors have shown that the population of these bacteria should be elevated [18,89,101,112].”
  • A multitude of scientific studies have reported a potential decrease in the abundance of Bifidobacterium in individuals diagnosed with ASD.

    “A multitude of scientific studies have reported a potential decrease in the abundance of Bifidobacterium in individuals diagnosed with ASD [52,89,101,102,103,106,107,113].”
  • The abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium, particularly the species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, should be lower in healthy individuals compared to patients diagnosed with ASD.

    “It was also observed that the abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium, particularly the Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species, should be lower in healthy individuals compared to patients diagnosed with ASD [52,89,101,107,109,113].”
  • Coretti et al. and Ristori et al. suggest that, in patients diagnosed with ASD, there is not only an increase in the overall prevalence of Ruminococcus bacteria but also a potential elevation in the abundance of R. torques species.

    “Furthermore, the research conducted by Coretti et al. and Ristori et al. suggests that, in patients diagnosed with ASD, there is not only an increase in the overall prevalence of Ruminococcus bacteria but also a potential elevation in the abundance of R. torques species [101,107].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Berni Canani R. Costanzo M. D. Leone L. Pedata M. Meli R. Calignano A. (2011). Potential beneficial effects of butyrate in intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. World J. Gastroenterol. 17 1519– 1528. 10.3748/wjg.v17.i12 21472114 PMC3070119 · DOI

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Authors
Coretti, L., Paparo, L., Riccio, M. P., Amato, F., Cuomo, M., Natale, A., Borrelli, L., Corrado, G., De Caro, C., Comegna, M., Buommino, E., Castaldo, G., Bravaccio, C., Chiariotti, L., Berni Canani, R., & Lembo, F.
Affiliations
  • University of Malta (MT)
  • University of Naples Federico II (IT)
  • Institute for Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology (IT)
Corresponding author
  • Coretti, Lorena
  • Lembo, Francesca
Venue
Frontiers in Microbiology
Published
2018-12-19
Volume
9
Pages
3146-3146
ISSN
1664-302X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2904339023
Cited by
266
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 11
FWCI
8.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Microbiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, gut microbiota, young children, short-chain fatty acids, butyrate, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bifidobacterium longum, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, actinobacteria, bacterial colonization, microbial signatures, neuroimmune interactions

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