Gut flora could help diagnose autism: Study

Autism diagnosis usually involves parental questionnaires
The study found unique gut flora in autistic children
Stool samples of 1,627 children - autistic and non-autistic were analyzed

Updated: Jul 15, 2024 / 09:11 AM CDT

A health worker prepares a vaccine in a hospital of Montenegro’s capital Podgorica.

(NewsNation) — Scientists could be closing in on a simpler way to diagnose autism.

A study published July 8 in Nature Microbiology identified gut microbiome could be a more objective mechanism of diagnosis.

Fecal samples from 1,627 children — autistic and non-autistic — aged 1 to 13 were analyzed. Those with autism were able to be identified through “markers” in their gut microbiome.

The study could prove beneficial in finding a more objective way to diagnose autism. Currently, it is customary for parents to be given questionnaires when they suspect their child could have autism, which could bring subjective results.

“Too much is left to questionnaires,” Sarkis Mazmanian, microbiome researcher at the California Institute of Technology, told The New York Times.

“If we can get to something we can measure — whatever it is — that’s a huge improvement,” Mazmanian said.