Analysis of the Intestinal Microbiota in Autistic Patients by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis

To analyze the differences in the composition of the intestinal microbiota between the autistic and healthy children, we selected 45 autistic and 20 control children aged 2 to 9 years to collect their fecal samples. The total microbial genome DNA of each fecal sample was extracted, and the V3 regions of microbial 16S rRNA genes were amplified. The intestinal microbial composition of both study groups was detected by PCR-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Quantity One and Biodap software were used to analyze the diversity and similarity of bacterial populations, and SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. The denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis profiles documented significant differences in the composition of intestinal microflora between the autism and control groups. Analysis of the excised bands demonstrated the abundance of bacteria species assigned to the genus Escherichia/Shigella in the gastrointestinal tract of the autism group but a low content in the control group. An opposite result was obtained for the Bacteroides genus. These data indicate that intestinal microbial composition may is correlated with the occurrence of the autism.