Viruses and autism

Research into the role of viral infection in the development of ASD may be one avenue of improving ASD outcomes in the future. Early screening and diagnosis to detect, and maybe even prevent ASD are essential to reduce the burden of this condition. Abstract Autism spectrum disorder ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition of the central nervous system CNS that presents with severe communication problems, impairment of social interactions, and stereotypic behaviours.

FDA Resources. Blood samples will be collected and analyzed for herpes simplex viruses type one and two antibody by sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Outcome Measures. Primary Outcome Measures : relationship between herpes simplex viruses infections and development of autism. Eligibility Criteria. Information from the National Library of Medicine Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision.

Children suffering from Autism Spectrum disorders of variable grades attending to Assuit University Children Hospital and the same number of healthy children of matching age and sex as a control.

Age between six months and five years. Inclusion Criteria: Children suffering from Autism spectrum disorders. Age between six months and five years Exclusion Criteria: Genetic disorders. History of metabolic or neurodegenerative disease. Gross motor delay. Audiologic problems. Mental retardation. Other psychiatric problems. Contacts and Locations. Information from the National Library of Medicine To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials. More Information. Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Epub Oct Zappella M. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Autism Dev Disord. Author manuscript; available in PMC Dec 1. Croen , PhD 1. Judith K. Lisa A. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Tel: , Fax: Copyright notice. The publisher's final edited version of this article is available at J Autism Dev Disord. See other articles in PMC that cite the published article. Abstract We conducted a nested case-control study including cases and frequency matched controls to investigate the association between maternal infections during pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders ASD.

Maternal Infections The type and timing of maternal infections during pregnancy were ascertained from KPNC databases, which prospectively capture all diagnoses made during inpatient hospitalizations and outpatient clinic visits within KPNC and approved outside facilities. Open in a separate window. Statistical Analysis Characteristics of cases and controls were compared using contingency tables.

Organ-specific infections Genitourinary GU infections were among the more commonly diagnosed infections during pregnancy among both case and control mothers Table 4.

Numbers of infections Mothers of ASD children were more likely than mothers of controls to have two or more infections during pregnancy Treatment Treatment of infection in an outpatient setting did not change the association between maternal infection during pregnancy and risk of ASD.

This suggests that maternal immune activation around the time of conception may adversely impact fetal neurodevelopment Our study had several strengths, including large numbers of subjects, population-based identification of cases and controls from the same birth cohort, the use of prospectively-collected information on diagnoses documented in medical records, and an appropriately matched internal comparison group with no documented ASD diagnoses.

Conclusion Multiple maternal infections and bacterial infections occurring during late pregnancy, particularly those diagnosed in a hospital setting, were associated with a higher risk of autism. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Dr. Amniotic fluid inflammatory cytokines: Potential markers of immunologic dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders. Amniotic fluid chemokines and autism spectrum disorders: an exploratory study utilizing a Danish Historic Birth Cohort.

Brain Behav Immun. Advances in autism genetics: on the threshold of a new neurobiology. Nat Rev Genet. The teratology of autism. Int J Dev Neurosci. J Neurovirol. The role of cytokines in mediating effects of prenatal infection on the fetus: implications for schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. Maternal infection requiring hospitalization during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders. The neuropoietic cytokine family in development, plasticity, disease and injury.

Nat Rev Neurosci. Maternal autoantibodies in autism. Arch Neurol. Atypical development of white matter microstructure in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Autism in children with congenital rubella.

J Autism Child Schizophr. Prevalence of self-reported infection during pregnancy among control mothers in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Am Fam Physician. The changing prevalence of autism in California. Maternal autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergies, and childhood autism spectrum disorders: a case-control study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Maternal Rh D status, anti-D immune globulin exposure during pregnancy, and risk of autism spectrum disorders.

Am J Obstet Gynecol. Maternal neuronal antibodies associated with autism and a language disorder. Ann Neurol. Cytokines and perinatal brain damage. Preliminary data from about 70 men shows that seminal fluid from autism fathers is more likely to carry polyomavirus than is fluid from controls. Still, the research is in its infancy, and Persico hopes to extend it to other viruses. Last month, for instance, he reported that there is no trace of the XMRV virus in blood samples or in postmortem brain tissue from people with autism, nor in semen samples from fathers of children with autism 8.

Lintas C. Chess S. Englert Y. Update 10 , PubMed. Fatemi S. Neuropharmacology Epub ahead of print PubMed. Pietropaolo V.