A groundbreaking study by Brittany Pequegnat and Guelph chemistry professor Mario Monteiro has produced a carbohydrate-based vaccine against the gut bug, Clostridium bolteae. C. bolteae plays a role in gastrointestinal disorders, and it seems to show up more frequently in autistic children than in healthy kids. Because more than 90% of children with autism spectrum disorders suffer from chronic, severe gastrointestinal symptoms and about 75%suffer from diarrhea, this is a huge breakthrough. "Little is known about the factors that predispose autistic children to C. bolteae," said Monteiro. This vaccine is the first of its kind and it might even help to control non-gastrointestinal symptoms of Autism. Inexplicably , Autism cases have increased almost sixfold over the past 20 years. Some researchers believe toxins and/or metabolites produced by bacteria like C. bolteae, may be associated with symptoms and severity of autism,
especially regressive autism.
The new C. bolteae vaccine targets the specific complex polysaccharides on the surface of the bacteria. The vaccine effectively raised C. bolteae-specific antibodies in rabbits. Doctors could also use the vaccine-induced antibodies to quickly detect the bacteria in a clinical setting. Although, the vaccine might take more than 10 years to work through preclinical and human trials, and it may take even longer before a drug is ready for market, it's a huge step in the right direction for those plagued by Autism.
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