The bacterial neurometabolic signature of the gut microbiota of young children with autism spectrum disorders.

The human gut microbiota is currently seen as an important factor that can promote autism spectrum disorder (ASD) development in children. This study aimed to detect differences in the taxonomic composition and content of bacterial genes encoding key enzymes involved in the metabolism of neuroactive biomarker compounds in the metagenomes of gut microbiota of children with ASD and neurotypical children. A whole metagenome sequencing approach was used to obtain metagenomic data on faecal specimens of 36 children with ASD and 21 healthy neurotypical children of 3-5 years old.