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Antibiotics for Autism #1668
Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs
©Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. December 2000

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 1 in every 500 people has autism -- a developmental disorder that affects language and social skills. For years it's been largely untreatable, but a new study indicates antibiotics may hold an answer.

Eight-year-old Andrew Bolte reads at a first-grade level. Sitting with his tutor, he pays close attention. However his mother, Ellen, says it wasn't always this easy.

"He couldn't stand to be touched or held. He hated the feeling of clothing on his body," she says.

Andrew was diagnosed with autism when he was 2. Wondering why her son also had chronic diarrhea, Ellen did her own research and came up with a theory.

Ellen explains, "We need to look at the gastrointestinal track. There is a connection between the gut and the brain."

She wondered if a harmful bacterium in the intestine could be affecting Andrew's brain.

A study by Richard Sandler, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, showed she could be right. He treated 11 autistic children with the antibiotic vancomycin (Vancoled®, Vancocin®) and 9 out of the 11 improved.

Dr. Sandler explains, "They got calmer, could start to pay attention, and could start to follow directions."

However over time, nearly all of the children had some relapse.

Dr. Sandler says, "Vancomycin is not a treatment for the kids. It's just a lead. A very important one, I think, but just a lead."

It's a lead indicating that antibiotics may one day play a role in a cure for Andrew and thousands of others who suffer from autism.

Ellen says, "Somebody has got to keep pushing this forward, and for some reason, God gave me the strength to keep doing it. So that is what I will keep doing."

Dr. Sandler says about 25 percent of children with autism experience chronic diarrhea or constipation. Further research is now underway to determine if, in fact, a bug or toxin is present in autistic patients' intestinal tracts.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Ellen Bolte, Study Co-Coordinator

Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology

Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center

1725 West Harrison, Suite 946

Chicago, Illinois 60612

(312) 563-2103

Antibiotics for Autism Research Summary
Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs
©Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. December 2000

BACKGROUND: Autism affects approximately five in every 10,000 children. It is a developmental disorder that often involves the loss of language, social and play skills. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. According to researchers, autism manifests during early infancy with impairment typically persisting into adulthood. Autism has been largely untreated by the medical community even though it is the third most commonly diagnosed childhood disorder. Symptoms can include:

·         Unresponsiveness to people

·         Lack of attachment to parents or caretakers

·         Rigid or flaccid muscle tone while being held

·         Little or no interest in human contact

·         Lack of attachment to parents or caretakers

·         Language impairment

·         Seemingly meaningless repetition of words or phrases

·         Self-destructive behavior

·         Distressed by minor changes in the environment

·         Delayed mental and social skills

·         Over-reaction or under-reaction to sensory stimulus

·         Aggressive behavior patterns such as uncontrollable head banging, screaming fits and arm flapping

BATTLING BACTERIA: Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center have found that some children suffering from autism may experience short-term, but dramatic, improvement after being treated with antibiotics. During a two-year study, patients whose autism involves bacterial colonization in the bowel were treated with the antibiotic vancomycin (Vancoled®, Vancocin®). Nine out of eleven children treated experienced improved behavior, social skills and cognitive function. While the improvement was at times impressive, some regression occurred in 10 of the 11 children. Some children's skills returned to what they were prior to treatment. Researchers emphasize vancomycin is not recommended for general use because it would encourage further development of resistance to certain bacteria. However, this study is important because it indicates that further research into a possible connection between intestinal bacteria and autism is warranted.

FUTURE STUDIES: Researchers are now trying to locate a specific toxin or bacteria that may be present in the bowel of children with autism. They say that if this can be accomplished, they will be able to better determine a possible mode of treatment. Doctors say future treatments may include an antibiotic or perhaps a combination of antibiotics, but it is too soon to tell. Researchers say future studies should address whether there are better drugs for this treatment, how long therapy should be continued, and what can be done to prevent relapse once treatment is stopped.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Ellen Bolte, Study Co-Coordinator

Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology

Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center

1725 West Harrison, Suite 946

Chicago, Illinois 60612

(312) 563-2103

Prior Reports:
Curbing Autistic Aggression December 2000
Overcoming Autism March 1998
Autism/Manic Depression December 1996
Electronic Ear November 1996
Birthday Revelations of Autism July 1996

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