https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7530-5624
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ABSTRACT
Most studies on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk factors have been conducted in developed countries where ethnicity and environment are different than in developing countries. We compared nutritional status, immune response and microbiota composition in mestizo children with ASD with matched controls in Ecuador. Twenty-five cases and 35 controls were matched by age, sex and school location. The prevalence of under- and overweight was higher in children with ASD. Nutritional differences were accompanied by abnormal food habits and more frequent gastrointestinal symptoms in children with ASD. Also, greater serum concentrations of TGF-β1 were observed in children with ASD. Finally, there was greater alpha diversity and abundance of Bacteroides (2 OTUs), Akkermansia, Coprococcus and different species of Ruminococcus in ASD children.
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
The human subjects Protection Committee at Universidad de Las Américas approved the study. Parents and children signed an Informed Consent form after receiving a full explanation of the research protocol to be included in the study. Parents completed socio-demographic and medical history questionnaires for their children.
Availability of data and materials
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. The raw sequences obtained were demultiplexed and uploaded to the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) with the accession numbers ERR2672822 to ERR26779. The raw data supporting the conclusions of this manuscript will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation to any qualified researcher.