This new piece of scientific data may be very traumatic for parents. Or, maybe these results are not translatable from mice to humans, so it’s just a tidbit to share. To be honest, the underlying facts are  not totally new- because other research has indicated that dysfunctional immune responses and microbiome (the bacterial population in the gut) composition are related to ASD (autism spectrum disorders).

Dr. John Lukens (UVa), along with his team (CR Lammert, EL Frost, AC Bolte, MJ Paysour, ME Shaw, CE Bellinger, TK Weigel, and ER Zunder) published these research results in the Journal of Immunology. The article, “Critical roles for microbiota-mediated regulation of the immune system in a prenatal immune activation model of autism” details their findings that the microbiome of a mouse was the critical link in the development of ASD. Lukens’ group has found that the key interaction is the interleukin 17a (IL-17a) responses that the microbiome mediates.

If one modifies the microbiome or interferes with IL-17a signaling, then the incidence of autism is reduced. (This was also found by MIT researchers.) The mother’s microbiome sets the tone- it sets how the offspring’s immune system will respond to injury, stress, or infection. The question is whether a fecal transplant or diet modification (using custom probiotics) can reduce the risk for ASD incidence.

IL-17a also is a critical issue for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis so there are drugs to block this cytokine.  However,  we recognize that  it is also important for the body to fight infections, so removing IL-17a or reducing its effectiveness leaves one susceptible to diseases. (This is especially true for fungal infections.)

It may even be possible for IL-17a can serve as a biomarker for ASD diagnosis, according to this research. But, that still remains to be seen- to determine if human microbiome has the same correlations.

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