Clostridia are members of the normal human flora, present primarily in the intestinal tract. They colonize the gut of other vertebrates and insects and are ubiquitous in soil. Three specific types of clostridia are notable in medicine: Clostridium tetani which leads to tetanus, Clostridium difficile which leads to infectious colitis, and Clostridium botulinum which is responsible for botulism.
Clostridium tetani is the bacteria responsible for the disease tetanus, which can often be fatal. The word tetanus comes from the Greek word tetanos which means to ‘stretch’. Tetanus infection is characterized by rigidity and convulsive spasms of skeletal muscle. (source)
Clostridium difficile is the bacteria responsible for the disease sometimes known as c.diff. This infection is common in the elderly, those who have been on antibiotics and those who are in medical facilities.transmitted from person to person by the fecal-oral route. C. difficile is shed in faeces. C. difficile can live for long periods of time on surfaces (source)
Clostridium botulinum is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves. Symptoms of botulism usually start with weakness of the muscles that control the eyes, face, mouth, and throat. This weakness may spread to the neck, arms, torso, and legs. Botulism also can weaken the muscles involved in breathing, which can lead to difficulty breathing and even death. (source)
What does Clostridia have to do with Autism?
The Canadian organization Treat Autism explains:
“Research by Dr. Sidney Finegold compared the gut flora of children with regressive ASD to neurotypical (typically developing) children. The results show that clostridia counts were higher in the children with autism. Not only were the counts higher in those with autism, but the number of clostridia species were also higher. Children with ASD had 9 species of Clostridium not found in the neurotypical group. The neurotypical group showed only 3 species not found in children with autism. In all, there were 25 different clostridia species found. In stomach and small intestine specimens, the most striking finding was total absence of Clostridia from neurotypical children and significant numbers of such bacteria from children with autism.”
Dr. Derrick Mc. Fabe and Dr. Richard Frye built on this research with their paper in 2015. In that paper, they “review the evidence that enteric bacteria that are overrepresented in children with ASD, particularly Clostridia spp., produce short-chain fatty acid metabolites that are potentially toxic to the mitochondria.” They, “provide an example of this gut–brain connection by highlighting the propionic acid rodent model of ASD and the clinical evidence that supports this animal model.”
They also “discuss the potential therapeutic approaches that could be helpful for GI symptoms in ASD and mitochondrial disorders.”
Statistics show that approximately 70% of children have gastrointestinal dysfunction. this research from McFabe and Frye aims to help better understand the underlying physiology associated with ASD that may be related to concurrent mitochondrial and GI dysfunction, in light of clostridia bacteria overproducing metabolites that can be toxic to mitochondria.
What can you do? Talk to your doctor about obtaining lab work to measure your child’s bacteria levels and other metabolites that can be measured in urine and blood. If you have not read our Top 10 Lab Tests for you Child, it can be a good first step in determining some of the underlying issues that may be challenging your child’s body.
If you want to learn more about potential treatments for ASDs, need help talking to your doctor, or don’t know where to begin, we are here to help. Check out our Empowered Library for more resources.