Rodakis made this call after his autistic son started showing significant improvements after he started taking prescription antibiotic amoxillin which was prescribed for him to offer relief for his strep throat. Rodakis and other members of his family observed that his autistic boy started maintaining eye contacts, and his speech capabilities improved, and he even started to exhibit inner drive and energy to do things on his own to the admiration of other members of the family.
But this improvement was observed when the boy was started on amoxillin antibiotics for his strep throat, making Rodakis to think that the effect of the antibiotic on gut bacteria must have caused a reaction in the brain of the autistic child with the resultant improvement.
While calling for more research into the association that might exist between ASD and gut bacteria, Rodakis report was published in the journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. The molecular biologist however warned that he is not advocating the use of antibiotics to treat autism.
“I’m not advocating the use of antibiotics as a long-term treatment for autism, but I would like to see serious medical research into why some children seem to improve when taking antibiotics,” Rodakis said.
“We want to be careful that we don’t create a mad rush for parents to go and put their ASD kids on antibiotics. It’s my hope that by studying these antibiotic-responding children, we can learn more about the core biology of autism,” Rodakis added.
The improvement in his autistic son following the use of antibiotics to treat his throat condition motivated Rodakis to research more into the link between ASD and gut bacteria, and a 1999 journal he saw from the Chicago Rush Children’s hospital and other studies point to some direction in this incident.
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