Autism: Microbial Correlation

[Guest guest]

Autism: Microbial Correlation 1

Term Paper for Child Development – Psychology 323

Submitted by R. Haney

Sacramento, California

February 28, 2005

Working Title

Microbial Influence Theory of Autism: " A Pandora's Box "

Introduction

Neuropsychology investigates the process of how the nervous system

relates to human thought, memory, and behavior, and literally dates

back to Greek mythology. (McCourt, M. E., September 2001) According

to McCourt's article on the " Historical Origins of

Neuropsychology " , " Most modern neuropsychologists originate from all

branches of neuroscience. " Modern neuroscience is not a traditional

discipline, but involves a sophisticated approach to the research

and challenges of exploring the approximately one hundred billion

neurons that comprise the human brain and its nervous system. A

vitally important federally funded program termed the " Decade of the

Brain " (Congressional Report, 1986) has clearly demonstrated that

nearly all of the major fields of science in unison with advanced

technology, are racing into the 21st century with new incredible

discoveries announced almost daily.

Autism: Microbial Correlation 2

One of the most intriguing and elusive problems for neuroscience

over the next decade is to find the correlation between Autism

Spectrum Mental Disorders (ASD), collectively known

as " developmental disabilities " and their biophysical origin. (APA

DSM-IV, 1994) Science offered as of late implicates environmental

factors as correlating with the onset of autism. The hypothesis

posed herein, suggests that the development of autism is influenced

by microbial cytotoxicity (cellular poisoning) imposed upon fetal

gestation during the various stages of pregnancy.

New Hope For Autism

Never before in the history of man has information and scientific

collaboration been so accessible, and at such speed. From the Decade

of the Brain, several new science disciplines such as Molecular

Neurobiology, Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, Neurochemistry,

Neurogenetics, Neuroimmunology, Neuropsychology, Neuroimaging, and

Computational sciences have emerged, and virtually unnoticed.

(Scientific American, 1992) Collectively these advanced scientific

disciplines offer real hope for people afflicted with debilitating

mental conditions and disorders. Today, they are just beginning to

pay huge dividends for the medical and psychology fields.

The " alpha " (beginning) of " biopsychology " owes its origin to

Hippocrates (400 B.C.), a Greek physician who is traditionally

regarded as the father of medicine. To Hippocrates, the brain was

the " organ of intellect, that it controlled the senses of movement

and intellect. " (McCourt, et al., 2001) Hippocrates is the first

person known to history to have equated brain physiology with human

behavioral activity.

Autism: Microbial Correlation 3

For most of the 20th century, classical conditioning and operant

conditioning have been of paramount importance in equating behavior

with the use of natural and manmade instruments and stimuli. This

psychological behavioral phenomena, has completely held favor with

biologists. According to author G. 's " In the Palaces of

Memory " , (, G., 1991) the author states that:

" Steeped in the behaviorism of Skinner, they rarely speculated about

what might be happening inside the animal's brain. The whole point

of behaviorism was to throw out concepts like mental representations

and engrams. Since these mind objects could not be observed,

Skinner believed, it was as silly to talk about them, as it was to

talk about the

soul. Classical conditioning, on the other hand, was a behavior that

could be observed and quantified. "

" To the extremists like Skinner, all human behavior and even culture

itself could be analyzed as stimuli and responses, input and output,

a web of acquired behaviors that came to be known as S-R links.

Although such pure forms of behaviorism have fallen out of vogue,

classical conditioning remains one of the most fundamental concepts

in neuroscience. It is widely considered the most basic form of

learning, the simplest case in which an organism learns to recognize

a coincidence in its environment, to make a causal connection… "

" This sounds like an extremely reductionist stance, but []

Kandel [a Neurophysics scientist at Columbia University] would go it

one better. The roots of causality might run deeper than psychology

and even biology, he believed, all the way

Autism: Microbial Correlation 4

down to the level of chemistry [specifically relating to genetic

coding and intracellular chemical activity]. "

Kandel, one of the men that prize winning science writer J. lin

refers to as the " brave new frontiersmen of Molecular Psychology, "

in his book on molecular science, " Molecules of the Mind: The Brave

New Science of Molecular Psychology " (lin, J., 1987). lin

suggests that the challenges of Neuropsychology in leading our way

into 21st century, which could ultimately lead civilization to the

Omega (the end) of animal and human psychological afflictions as

they are currently observed. An extension of Neuropsychology is its

newest discipline, " Environmental Health Psychology " scheduled for

formal introduction at the American Psychological Society's National

Conference in Los Angeles in May 2005. (Haney, D.R., 2004)

Environmental Health Psychology poses that the approximately 60-75

trillion human cells that comprise up to 10 percent of the human

organism, are dwarfed in comparison, by parasites and other micro

flora that occupy nearly 90 percent of the body's cellular

composition. (Heritage, J., 2001) External Earth environments and

internal human environments profoundly affect biochemical changes

that simultaneously correlate with microbial behavior. This is

observed in the emotional and perceptual changes that are exhibited

during human disease activity (e.g., a cold, fever, pneumonia, and

other forms of illnesses). Because of neuropsychology and similar

collaborative

Autism: Microbial Correlation 5

fields of neuroscience people afflicted with autism now have hope

that soon, within the range of their lifetime, a cure will emerge.

Autism: The Epidemic

In " Autism: A Medical Primer " D.C. Prater relates

that, " …autism may have its origin in Itard's 1801 desscription of

the " wild boy of Aveyron, " a violent child with no language skills

who related to other people as if they were objects. " In 1943, it

was Kanner who identified a complex set of characteristics (e.g.,

aberrations in social

development, verbal and nonverbal communication, symbolic thinking)

for a term he labeled " autism. " (Prater, C.D., 2002) Autism is

described as a developmental syndrome that consists of an abnormal

development of social skills (withdrawal, lack of interest in others

or peers), limitations in the use of interactive language (speech as

well as nonverbal communication), and sensorimotor deficits

(inconsistent responses to environmental stimuli). (DSM-IV, 1994)

Impairments in children with Autism vary with the following

characteristics: Echolalia, the involuntary repetition of a word or

a sentence just spoken by another person, deficiencies in symbolic

thinking, stereotypic behaviors (e.g., repetitive nonproductive

movements of hand sand fingers, rocking, meaningless vocalizations),

self stimulations, self-injury behaviors, and seizures. Mental

retardation is not a diagnostic criterion, but is frequently present

in the moderate to severe range. (Prater, et al., 2002)

In reviewing several medical documents on Autism the

following physical and psychological characteristics are listed most

often:

· Speech and/or language delay or difficulties in

communication

Autism: Microbial Correlation 6

· Lack of interest in peer or adult interactions, except

security of parent(s)

· Signs of deafness and/or visual impairment

· Hyperactivity (rapid excitability) or hypoactivity

(unusually slow or very limited excitability)

· Evasive or nearly non-existent eye contact with others

· Severe feeding and sleeping difficulties

· Fascination with moving parts of toys (esp., spinning

wheels, spinning tops, etc.)

· Severe temper tantrums

· Repetitive behavior

· Common abnormal motor activities include hand flapping,

rocking, finger flicking, etc.

· Attachment to unusual objects

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times (Roan, S., 2005)

autism affects about one out of every 500 American children

annually, and in California one in every 322 children, is usually

observed and diagnosed by the age of two years. Researchers

presently are attempting to identify autism as early as 18 months.

In the Los Angeles Times article, Roan indicates that, " The long

range goal is to be able to detect autism at birth or in very early

infancy. According to a report published in 2002, through the

California State Department of Development Services, cases of autism

increased 273 percent from 1987 to 1998, and between 600-800

children are added to the department's rolls every three months.

(Roan, et al., 2005) Autism is truly occurring in epidemic

proportions and there is not enough known as to its cause at this

juncture.

Autism: Microbial Correlation 7

The Merck Manual (1999) often considered the " Medical Doctor's

Bible " states that, " Autism (Kanner's Syndrome) is two to four

times more common in boys than in girls. " Though several

correlations between genetics and autism development are indicated

in various disciplines research, presently autism is medically

identified as an " idiopathic " (unknown caused) disorder. An

article, " The Genetics of Autism " published by the American Academy

of Pediatrics (Muhle, R., 2004) states that, " Epidemiologic studies

indicate that environmental factors such as toxic exposures,

teratogens, perinatal

insults, and prenatal infections such as rubella and cytomegalovirus

account for few cases [of autism]. The article continues by

indicating that, " Twin studies reported 60% concordance for classic

autism in monozygotic (MZ) twins verses 0 in dizygotic (DZ) twins,

the higher MZ concordance attesting to genetic inheritance as the

predominant causative agent. Reevaluation for a broader autistic

phenotype that included communication and social disorders increased

concordance remarkably from 60% to 92% in MZ twins and from 0% to

10% in DZ pairs. This suggests that interactions between multiple

genes cause " idiopathic " autism but that epigenetic factors and

exposure to environmental modifiers may contribute to variable

expression of autism-related traits. " What this observes in plain

English is that genetic science is beginning to understand the

correlation between autism and human genetic mutations through

monozygotic (twins derived from a " mono " single " zygote " egg), and

dizygotic (derived from two " di " eggs " zygotes " ). Monozygotic twins

form when a single fertilized egg splits into two embryos. Because

the twins share the same DNA set, they tend to have similar

features). Dizygotic twins form when two separate eggs are

fertilized by separate sperm and tend to

Autism: Microbial Correlation 8

have very separate hereditary features. President Bush's

twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara are an example of dizygotic twins,

and identical twins are examples of the monozygotic variety.

What is important about genetic studies is that in order

for gene structure to change to the point of mutation there has to

be either a hereditary abnormality that took place in one's ancestry

which caused transferred genes to become predisposed to certain

environmental weaknesses (mutations determine genetic coding change

transform), by genetic mutation in reproductivity influenced by both

sets of genes integrated into embryonic formation by each

contributing parent, or through environmental micro organic and

chemical influences that disturb the biochemical (and consequently

the genetic activity) of the developing fetus.

The American Academy of Pediatrics article (Muhle, et

al., 2004) identifies three main approaches in identifying genetic

loci (specific location of a gene on a chromosome) that identify

relevant genes associated with a particular human

affliction: " 1. Whole genome screens, searching for linkage of

autism to shared genetic markers in populations of multiplex

families (families with > 1 affected family member)

2. Cytogenetic studies that may guide molecular studies by

pointing to relevant inherited or de novo chromosomal abnormalities

in affected individuals and their families

3. Evaluation of candidate genes known to affect brain

development in these significantly linked regions or alternatively,

linkage of candidate genes selected a priori because of their

presumptive contribution to the pathogenesis of autism. "

Autism: Microbial Correlation 9

It is very evident that genetic studies are closing the gap in our

understanding of the biochemical mechanism of human afflictions such

as autism, however there are influences relating to environment that

provide the direct correlation of autism to neurological activities

and deformities associated with the human brain.

Molecular and Neurological Implications

Whenever one equates the study of the human brain to any affliction,

disease, or abnormality, one must also include the study of

molecular science because nerves are biochemically constructed by

the molecular formation of nerve cells. In the human brain more

than an estimated 100 billion nerve cells are crowded into an area

measuring between 1350 or 1400 cc (cubic centimeters) and weighing

about three and a half pounds.

It is extremely difficult to cover in one writing the enormous

amount of research and discovery that is taking place in molecular

science, and perhaps no where this more true, than in the

neurological sciences. The study of autism in neurological science

is dwarfed by other studies focusing on intelligence, memory, and

diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis and

others. Autism is equally important of course, but with the

extremely high level of competition for funding sources this

affliction has not been at the forefront of science until recently.

(Congressional Report, 1986)

Research at s Hopkins Medical Institutions (Vargas, D., November

17, 2004) reports that, " …the brains of some people with autism show

clear signs of inflammation, suggesting that the disease may be

associated with the activation of the brain's immune system. "

However the report also states that " These findings reinforce the

theory that

Autism: Microbial Correlation 10

immune response in the brain is involved in autism, although it is

not yet clear whether the inflammation is a consequence of disease

or a cause of it. " In measuring proteins called cytokines and

chemokines in cerebrospinal fluid, researchers discovered ongoing

inflammatory process taking place in several regions the brains of

people afflicted with autism. The most important aspect of this

research is that it indicates that the inflammation discovered as

produced by neuronal cells known as microglia and astroglia, cells

is that the inflammation is produced within, and localized within

specific regions, of the brain and is not externally caused from

other immunity within the human body. This is very notable, because

though it seems to conflict with our hypothesis, it brings science

much closer to the environmental logistics that directly influence

its pattern, namely inflammation and microorganic manipulation of

genetic DNA/RNA activity. According to Levitan and Kaczmarek, in

their text, " The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology " , " The rationale

for investigating the genetics of behavior is simple and

straightforward: if one can generate mutants that exhibit aberrant

patterns of behavior, an examination for the mutated gene might

provide clues to the molecular mechanisms underlying the behavior…

this approach is valid, even if the engram has not been located. "

(Levitan, I.B., Kaczmarek, L.K., 1991)

To strengthen the hypothesis of the environmental

microbial influence theory in autism, Autism Today (Autism

Management Limited, September 7, 2000) reports that, " Amongst the

suggested causes there has been food allergy, (Egger 1985) Candida

infection (Shaw 1996) suggesting an incompetent immune system.

Immune cell loss, with inadequate numbers of lympocytes and poor

immunoglobulin production supports

Autism: Microbial Correlation 11

this (Gupta). A form of poisoning has been suggested when children

with lead poisoning were seen to have significant behavioral changes

(Marlow 1983). Other heavy metals

such as mercury will produce changes in behavior and mental

retardation. (Rea 1996) Brain mapping by Egger has shown that fronto

parietal circulation is impaired, consistent with poor speech

development and perceptive disorders leading to poor communication.

Motor development and co-ordination function is also impaired with

evidence of poor hand eye co-ordination and a likely sensory

ataxia. "

The Merck Manual (Merck, et al., 1999) indicates

that, " Computer tomography (CT) scans have isolated a subgroup of

autistic children with enlarged ventricles and magnetic resonance

imaging (MRI) has recently identified a subgroup of autistic adults

with hypoplasia [underdevelopment of an organ because of a decrease

in the number of cells] of the cerebellar vermis [the region of the

cerebellum lying between and connecting the two hemispheres].

Individual causes of autism have been associated with the congential

rebella syndrome, cytomegalic inclusion disease [characterized by

greatly enlarged cells], phenylketonuria [an inherited recessive

disorder which is a disease tested for by newborn screening and

often treatable by diet], and the fragile X-syndrome [a genetic

disorder that is the most common form of inherited mental

retardation]. " The text continues by indicating that, " Autism

usually is manifest in the first year of life; its onset is not

later than age 3 years.

In other studies involving neuronal research into autism, a French

team of scientists (, J., 2003) report that two mutated genes

involved in nerve cell protein

Autism: Microbial Correlation 12

development of communications channels in autism neurological

disorders has been observed. The genes in question called

neuroligins, are located in the synapse junction

between neuronal cells. These genes located on the X chromosome

encode proteins that assist in the interaction of chemistry during

the biochemical communication process by one cell to another. During

pregnancy according to the study the mother's X chromosome, is

implicated in genetic mutation. Mothers have two copies of the X

chromosome and the second X chromosome has a backup copy of the

normal neuroligin gene that is thought to protect her from

developing autism. Her son however, inherits her X chromosome with

the mutated gene during embryonic development. The father, who

provides the Y chromosome complement to the embryo, though carrying

a neuroligin gene does not compensate for the mother's defective

gene and consequently the son inherits the autism affliction.

Theses are just a few of the molecular research

activities beginning to flood the science world in an effort to find

answers to autism. But, only now is the major focus moving toward

the integrated influence to genetic mutation that both the human

immune system in conjunction with environmental microbial factors,

bring into the scientific spectrum. In order to find answers, it is

imperative that all of the factors from genetic, neuronal, immunity,

and environmental research disciplines need to be considered.

Environmental and Immunological Influences in Autism

The following statement was released in a report

titled, " Researchers Observe Abnormalities in Brains of Autism

Patients " offered by the American Academy of Neurology (February 12,

2002). " Evolution of the brain has kept minicolumn size

Autism: Microbial Correlation 13

essentially constant while increasing total cortical surface area,

which in larger brains has resulted in more columns per brain and

thus more processing units and increased complexity. " The report

goes on to state, " This would be consistent with the existing theory

that autistic individuals suffer a chronic state of over arousal,

and portray abnormal behaviors to diminish the arousal. The lack of

lateral inhibitors, contained in the cortex, would affect an

individual's ability to discriminate between competing sensory

information. " And in summation of this statement it is

stated, " Researchers do not yet know whether the difference in the

number and size of the minicolumns is attributable to a gene

mutation or some other factor. "

The statement above is a good starting point for discussion leading

to our hypothesis. Science is currently dedicating focused research

into neurological activities experienced by people exposed to indoor

environment microbial exposures. For instance, the University of

Michigan (November 3, 1998) in a report titled, " Autism May be

Caused by an Immune System Response to a Virus " issues the following

statement: " No single cause of autism has been found, and

researchers believe that genes and environmental factors (such as

viruses and chemicals) both may contribute. The kind of brain

abnormalities found in people with autism suggests that the disorder

arises when something disrupts normal brain development. " The next

statement offered in the report is even more intriguing as we shall

explain later in this thesis. " One possibility is that early

exposure to a virus prods the body into mounting an immune response

that somehow goes awry. In addition to producing antibodies against

the virus, the body makes antibodies against itself, resulting in

damage to tissues and organs. This

Autism: Microbial Correlation 14

" autoimmune " response is what happens in autoimmune diseases such as

lupus, and some researchers think a similar response may account for

the brain abnormalities found in people with autism. "

Another intriguing aspect to autoimmune involvement in autism is

that medical science is also aware through a process of " Molecular

Mimicry " that micro fungi, bacteria, and viruses are readily able

and capable of initiating this process, as described through

research conducted on the subject. In a Special Issue of Scientific

American Magazine, " Life, Death, And The Immune System, " (September

1993), an article written by L. Steinman, " Autoimmune Disease " ,

explains the phenomenon of molecular mimicry quite well:

" What turns the T cells against the Self? Infection often precedes

the onset of autoimmune disease, and so scientists have closely

scrutinized the tactics that pathogens commonly employ to elude T

cells. The answer appears to lie in molecular mimicry, an

evolutionary adaptation whereby viruses and bacteria [as well as

microfungi as decomposers] attempt to fool the body into granting

them free access. Such mimicry works by showing the immune system

stretches of amino acids that look like self… An autoimmune response

can begin even if the molecular mimicry is not quite exact. Research

at the Scripps Research Institute demonstrated that hepatitis B

virus polymerase [molecules chained together] shared a stretch of

just six amino acids with a part of the myelin basic protein

molecule that causes EAE in rabbits. When they immunized rabbits

with this part of the virus, the animals developed inflammation in

their brains. This

Autism: Microbial Correlation 15

research suggests that molecular mimicry between [micro fungi],

bacteria, or viruses may be critical in initiating autoimmune

responses. "

This is not anything near science fiction, though initially that is

what it might seem to the scientifically uninformed reader but the

molecular sciences offer an extension of science that brings this

hypothesis into reality, " Environmental Health Psychology. " This

discipline poses that the approximately 60 trillion to 75 trillion

human cells that comprise up to 10 percent of the incredible human

organism are dwarfed in comparison by parasites and other micro

flora that occupy up to 90 percent of the body's cellular

composition. (Heritage, J., 2001) The external environment and

internal human environments profoundly effect biochemical changes in

humans that simultaneously effect changes in microbial behavior.

This is observed for example in human diseases.

It is not until bacteria, molds, yeasts, viruses or other microbial

pathogens enter the skin or human body that the human immune system,

neural pathways, metabolic processes, pH levels, temperature,

adrenaline function, and other biochemical responses start to

culminate into human disease activity. Microbes are deeply involved

in the biochemical distribution of stimuli that ultimately

integrates with human cellular DNA/RNA biochemical activity to

formulate behavior dependent upon aging, programmed cell death, and

other forms of genetic mutations and immune cell degeneration.

However, early during pregnancy this imbalance and toxicity can

grossly affect genetic, immune, neurological and physical traits of

the unborn developing fetus.

Environmental stimuli are forcefully evident in the processes by

which we individually adjust to certain lifestyle behaviors based

upon accumulated bio-stimulation

Autism: Microbial Correlation 16

(the " burning in " as it were) of neural pathway wiring (i.e.,

cellular activity), from birth and throughout life. Unhealthy

cellular performance combined with toxicity over time equates into

cellular performance deficiency, genetic mutations, or biochemical

instability, and a decline in neuro-physicological response

activity.

To offer an idea of how dangerous the chemicals distributed by

microbes is, especially the mycotoxins produced by micro fungi

medical schools are providing strict instructions to future health

professionals. Medical and laboratory students are told as they

begin their studies in their class, Introduction to Diagnostic

Microbiology, taught by Associate Professor and Director of Medial

Laboratory Programs, Dannessa Delost, M.S., M.T. (ASCP) of the

Department of Allied Health, College of Health and Human Services,

Youngstown State University. Professor Delost offers the following

health and safety policies and procedures:

" Conidia and spores may remain dormant in the air or environment or

may be transported through the air to other locations. The spores of

pathogenic molds can be inhaled and enter the respiratory tract.

This is a common rout of infection, and because of this, it is

imperative to practice good laboratory safety when working in

mycology. All work, including the preparation of slides, plating and

transferring cultures, and nay biochemical work, must be performed

in a biological safety cabinet. Because airborne conidia and spores

are readily released from a fungal culture, one should never smell a

fungal culture. Screw-cap test tubes should be used in place of test

tubes with a cotton, metal, or plastic lid. In addition, Petri

plates must be sealed tightly with either an oxygen

Autism: Microbial Correlation 17

impermeable tape or Parafilm. As always, gloves should be worn and

any breaks or cuts in the skin covered to prevent the transmission

of fungal infection. "

If major colleges and universities are training

laboratory students to understand and respect the potentially

dangerous and sometimes lethal aspects of micro fungi and the

mycotoxins they produce, to an unsuspecting mother with a developing

fetus in her womb, entering an environment infested with pathogenic

micro fungi could, and does pose a volatile threat to her health and

that of her unborn child.

The human neurological system begins to formulate almost immediately

in fetal development. The brain is highly complex and according to

an article by C. Shatz, titled " The Developing Brain " (Shatz, C. J.,

1992), by the time a person reaches adulthood the fully developed

brain consists of " more than 100 billion neurons. " What Shatz

further states is that, " The functional properties of neurons, like

their structural architecture, do not attain their specificity until

later in life. " Shatz writes, " One of the most remarkable features

of the adult nervous system is the precision of this [neural]

wiring. No aspect of the complicated structure, it would appear, has

been left to chance. The achievement of such complexity is even more

astounding when one considers that during the first few weeks after

fertilization many of the sense organs are not even connected to the

embryonic processing centers of the brain. During fetal development,

neurons must be generated in the right quantity and location. The

axons that propagate from them must select the correct pathway to

their target and finally make the right connections. " With our

human body being highly susceptible to metabolic changes dependent

on the

Autism: Microbial Correlation 18

mother's biological system, it is easy to understand that if

pathogenic (disease influencing) microbes should colonize (grow) due

to a high level exposure of some type that this could disturb

homeostasis (normal systemic balance).

In an article titled, " Neural Autoantibodies and

Neurophysiologic Abnormalities in Patients Exposed to Molds in Water-

Damaged Buildings, " A. W. relates that microbial exposures

(specifically, bacteria and molds) can adversely affect the human

being (especially very small infants and fetuses) by the byproduct

toxins and volatile organic compounds that they produce. Some of

these toxins cause major mutations to neurons, and even cellular

death. states some of the affected areas: " Molds and

mycotoxins affect the respiratory tract, kidneys, liver, and skin,

as well as the immune and nervous systems. " (, A. W., 2003).

goes on to state, " Recent studies have shown that mold

exposure has adverse effects on the nervous system. Some mycotoxins

have been shown to be tremorgenic and are suspected as causative

agents in woodtrimmer's disease and tremorgenic encephalopathy;

mycotoxins present in household environments have been found to

affect dogs. " Several types of mycotoxins are also teratogenic

(known to cause birth defects during gestation).

Summary

Autism is a serious disorder normally discovered by the

age of three years in infants. Currently scientists are closing in

on the factors surrounding its onset through scientific disciplines

such as in genealogy, immunology, and neurology. The hypothesis of

this report is that microbial behaviors that symbiotically maintain

the homeostasis of human metabolic processing is also a major factor

that should be considered in scientific

Autism: Microbial Correlation 19

research studies. Presently, environmental considerations are

implicated in the scientific literature, however very little

attention is given to early fetal development and indoor exposures

to bacteria, micro fungi, dust mites, and other microbial influences

endured by the mother during gestating. If hundreds of thousands of

scientific documents are now focusing on the neurological and

biophysical aspects of human diseases related to " mold " exposures,

and molds and bacteria have been implicated in disease over eons, it

makes perfect sense scientifically, that as known " primary "

decomposers of the human body after death, that it is very possible

they could strongly influence the distribution of genetic and other

body chemistry during pregnancy enough to effect changes during

fetal development that are similar to those seen in autism.

Autism: Microbial Correlation 20

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Autism: Microbial Correlation 21

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