Abstract
There is evidence that chronic infections and the immune reactions associated with them may contribute to causing autism spectrum disorders. These infections include Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia, Human herpesvirus-6, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma (in particular Mycoplasma fermentans). Maternal immune reactions to infections appear to adversely affect fetal brain development and possible pathophysiological mechanisms include both inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, and maternal autoantibodies to fetal neural tissue of the same kilodalton mass as those seen with B. burgdorferi and some other chronic infections. The timing of the infection and immune response is critical in determining the pathophysiology. It is advisable to evaluate women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant for chronic infections, especially if they demonstrate symptoms of an infection or a systemic illness with persistent inflammatory symptoms. The mother and the newborn should be treated when indicated.
Acknowledgements
Robert C Bransfield would like to thank and recognize the contributions of Jeffrey Wulfmann for assistance with the patient evaluation section, and Raphael Stricker for assistance regarding cross-antibody reactivity studies.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.