The truth is that doctors aren’t entirely sure what triggers the disease, in which the body turns on itself to attack the joints. But several recent studies have found intriguing links between gut microbes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other immune system disorders, The Atlantic reports. 

In new research published in 2013 New York University rheumatologist by Jose Scher found that rheumatoid arthritis sufferers were much more likely to have a bug called Prevotella copri in their intestines than non-sufferers and patients with psoriatic arthritis had significantly lower levels of other types of gut bacteria.

“It’s become more and more clear that these microbes can affect the immune system, even in diseases that are not in the gut,” says Veena Taneja, an immunologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, whose own research has also linked gut bacteria to rheumatoid arthritis.

….Scientists are increasingly focusing on how gut bacteria influence the immune system. Studies show the rate of autoimmune diseases is rising, and some scientists believe that may be due, in part, to changes in gut bacteria tied to unhealthy diets, the explosion of antibiotic use, and even anti-bacteria products.

Sound familiar?  I’ve been reporting here almost nonstop on the MICROBIOME and AUTISM.  CASE 1, Donald T could be considered GROUND ZERO on the issue of the microbiome being pivotal in autism.

BUT in doing so, consider those three listed reasons above as influencing bacteria in the gut -- “unhealthy diets, the explosion of antibiotic use, and even anti-bacteria products.”  In the 1930’s, these three factors did not yet exist.  What was new at that time were three, newly commercialized, ethyl mercury compounds: a seed disinfectant, a lumber treatment, and the vaccine preservative thimerosal. It is beyond coincidence that eight of the original Kanner Eleven have ties by location or occupation, to one or more of these compounds. (see the book,” THE AGE OF AUTISM, MERCURY, MEDICINE AND A MAN-MADE EPIDEMIC   “ and “Her Name Was Vivian: Clues From the Age of Autism’s First-Born Child "

Research indicates that mercury can change the microbiome:

“Is exposure to mercury a driving force for the carriage of antibiotic resistance genes?”

….Exposure to mercury might be a specific driving force for the acquisition and maintenance of mobile antibiotic resistance gene carriage in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure….This confirmed the well established link between mercury and antibiotic resistance (Edlund et al., 1996; Liebert et al., 1997; Pike et al., 2002, 2003; Ready et al., 2003, 2007; Summers et al., 1993; Wireman et al., 1997).

Could it be with those first eleven children that exposure to mercury shifted the bacteria in the microbiome?  Research shows there is an ominous consequence:

….early-life toxicant exposure could shift the microbial balance, potentially affecting both immune and microbiome development…

And this current study reiterates that theme -- Gut microbes may trigger autoimmune disease later in life, Jan 19, 2015:

Researchers have revealed that the colonisation of the gut of young mice by certain types of bacteria can lead to immune responses later in life that are linked to disease.

Vaccines, made from both bacterial and viral components, seem to also change the microbiome.  Is it possible that on top of mercury exposure, vaccination is altering the microbiome and we are seeing increasing numbers of autism and autoimmune disease as the consequence?

Let’s add more clues:

Autistic populations have a unique microbiome  consisting of more  clostridial species.[44] Half of all autistic children with gastrointestinal dysfunction were found to have the bacteria Sutterella which was completely absent in non-autistic children with gastrointestinal dysfunction.[45] There is evidence that for some children with late-onset autism antibiotics can alleviate symptoms temporarily.[46]

In 2005, Anne McCartney, a microbiologist and senior research fellow at the University of Reading in the U.K., found that children with autism have higher-than-normal concentrations of Clostridium bacteria, a microbial group that can produce neurotoxins. Other researchers have reported similar findings.

"There does seem to be a case to suggest that both the numbers and types of certain bacteria in the gut are different in autistic and non-autistic children," McCartney says.

Armed with these findings, researchers began to explore whether changes in gut bacteria, rather than being mere symptoms of autism, contribute to the disorder. Anecdotal evidence suggested that might be the case — parents often reported that their children's behavior seemed to get worse when their gut symptoms were exacerbated.

......MacFabe is investigating whether gut microbes can influence the brain in ways that explain the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. He is using rats to study fatty acids produced by the microbes that live in the gut, focusing particularly on propionic acid, which is produced by Clostridia, the bacteria that seem to be present at higher levels in children with autism.

When MacFabe and his colleagues injected propionic acid directly into the brains of rats, they became hyperactive, began engaging in repetitive behaviors and lost interest in social interactions4.

Interestingly, Rheumatoid Arthritis seems to also have that Clostridium connection:

……differences in the bacterial populations of mice bred to be genetically prone to rheumatoid arthritis. In those more susceptible to the disease, a species of bacteria from the Clostridium family dominates. In mice without arthritis, other strains flourish, and the Clostridium strains are scarce.

So back to Donald and this clue:  “As we recount in our book, his treatment with gold salts cleared up the JRA [Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis] and made a vast improvement in his autism symptoms, particularly the characteristic anxiety and lack of sociability.”

An investigation into GOLD SALTS led to this trail of research:

Newly Discovered Reactions From An Old Drug May Lead To New Antibiotics 

…. The key discovery occurred when the team found that the gold drug Auranofin, used to treat arthritis, impacted selenium's metabolism process. The chemical reaction changes the selenium, which prevents bacteria from using it to grow. Auranofin is an FDA-approved gold salt compound that is used to control inflammation and is already known to inhibit the activity of certain selenoproteins. Since certain bacteria, such as C. difficile, require selenoproteins for energy metabolism, the drug acts as a potent antimicrobial halting the growth of the bacteria.

…. "No one has tried to block the metabolism of selenium before as a therapeutic approach," Self said. "That's what's new and exciting and could lead to a whole host of other possibilities, including a better understanding of how the gold salt works for arthritis."

Very interesting and possibly a huge clue into both AUTISM and AUTOIMMUNITY, both of which my daughter has been diagnosed. Megan regressed in skills and language after being given the MMR vaccine and a Hib vaccine at 18 months.  That Hib vaccine contained 25 mcg of Thimerosal, the mercury preservative. As the years have passed, she has been ill with one infection after the other, Clostridia and Strep, being high on that list.  The autoimmune diagnosis, like Donald T, came years after the diagnosis of autism. These are important clues into autism.  Kanner missed these clues but we do see in his descriptions, glimpses of children who had chronic infections.  Little did he know these were the biggest clues to this new disorder he would call AUTISM. I will repeat that the microbiome seems to be a big piece into autism and thus may be a big piece in healing.  Donald T’s treatment with gold salts may be showing us that exact mechanism.

To summarize:

•  Donald Triplett, CASE 1 from Dr. Leo Kanner’s  historic paper http://www.rescuepost.com/files/library_kanner_1943.pdf  developed Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis as a young teenager.

•  Both Autism and  Rheumatoid Arthritis have much evidence of pathogenic bacteria and a dysfunctional microbiome, including Clostridium.

•  Clostridium bacteria can produce neurotoxins that research is showing, can cause the behaviors of autism, including social impairment, repetitive behavior and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

•  Donald was treated with gold salts which halted his Rheumatoid Arthritis and his symptoms of Autism.

•  Gold salts are now being shown to stop the growth of Clostridium (and possibly other pathogens) by disrupting selenium metabolism.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2672108/?report=reader (NOTE: I am not endorsing use of gold salts. This is research and not prescribing information)

•  There is much finger pointing to ANTIBIOTICS as the culprit in microbiome dysfunction, yet they were not in use in the 1930’s when these eleven children were diagnosed.  Antibiotics may both help or hurt depending on the unique microbiome of each individual. 

•  Plasmid sharing is one way bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics but to any agent that threatens their survival, which would include mercury. 

•  Vaccines also have shown to change the microbiome.  Niches created by vaccine elimination of organisms seem to alter the structure of the microbiome.  The unintended consequences of this alteration remain to be seen.

In Mark and Dan’s AGE OF AUTISM  book, they describe when Donald became ill:

When Donald was nearly fourteen, he became quite ill....he had a high fever, his joints were severely swollen, and he'd stopped eating….the Triplett’s looked far and wide, even taking him to the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. But no one could figure out the problem…….. 

They did find help finally at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis which specialized in arthritis.  Ironically, the Mayo Clinic is now investigating the role of Clostridium difficile infection http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/digestive-diseases/fecal-transplants-dramatically-improve-c-diff-in-kids .  Autism’s “abdominal symptoms” is on that list for fecal microbiota transplantation.  Stay tuned as my next installment will focus on that very topic.