Molecular biologist John Rodakis calls for more research into the brain-gut connection after his son’s autism improved while taking antibiotics.

The connection between gut bacteria and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is becoming better established.

The latest link is courtesy of John Rodakis, a medical venture capitalist who published a report today on how his son’s autism symptoms improved dramatically while the child was taking an antibiotic. The boy was put on the prescription antibiotic amoxicillin to treat strep throat.

The child was able to make eye contact, his speech development improved, and he had drive and energy his parents had never seen before.

The report by Rodakis reviews recent research on the link between gut bacteria and ASD. It was published in Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease.

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Rodakis doesn’t say antibiotics should be used to treat autism, but he believes gut bacteria play a role in the disorder.

“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 told Healthline.

Rodakis said giving autistic children antibiotics is not the answer, and doing so could have negative effects. “We want to be careful that we don’t create a mad rush for parents to go and put their ASD kids on antibiotics,” he said. “It’s my hope that by studying these antibiotic-responding children, we can learn more about the core biology of autism.”

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