Dysbiotic microbiota in autistic children and their mothers: persistence of fungal and bacterial wall-deficient L-form variants in blood

Abstract

Abstract Based on our hypothesis for existing microbiota of wall-deficient variants (L-forms) in human blood, we created an innovative methodology, which allowed for the development of L-form populations from blood of all investigated people. In contrast to healthy controls, blood L-forms from autistic children and their mothers converted under appropriate conditions of cultivation into detectable opportunistic bacteria and fungi, а process demonstrated by light and transmission electron microscopy. It can be distinguished into two types of states – “eubiotic” blood microbiota in healthy individuals, and “dysbiotic” in autistic children and their mothers. Remarkably, the unifying finding for autistic children and their mothers was the presence in blood of wall-free variants from life-cycle of filamentous fungi. Increased specific IgG, IgM and IgA, together with typical mold growth were a decisive argument for proven presence of Aspergillus fumigatus in almost all of the autistic children. As it was demonstrated in our previous study, filterable L-forms can be transmitted by vertical pathway from mother to child before birth. Thus, it can be suggested that autistic children may be born already colonized with fungi, while a “silent aspergillosis” could contribute or even be a leading cause for neurodevelopmental disorders in the early childhood.