Desulfovibrio Isolate from the Microbiote of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders Immobilizes Iron in Poorly Soluble Crystalline Sulfides

Abstract

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) of the genus Desulfovibrio are one of the groups occurring in elevated numbers in the gut of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Until now, high abundance of Desulfovibrio in individuals with RAS has been shown only by molecular methods. No cultured forms have been isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of autists. A conceivable mechanisms of SRB effect is conversion of iron into biologically unavailable forms of sulfides, causing its deficiency in the organism. In this study we isolated two Desulfovibrio strains from feces of the children with diagnosed ASD. In experiments Desulfovibrio desulfuricans AY5 formed crystalline iron sulfides, greigite and pyrite, containing iron in a biologically unavailable form.