In a live webinar, presented by the Autism Research Coalition, William Shaw, PhD reviewed his research that identified several compounds in the urine of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Many of these compounds (elevated in ASD) were associated with the presence of mold and yeast in the gastrointestinal tract. The children with ASD had significantly higher values compared to healthy controls in these compounds.
Antifungal therapy as a treatment for ASD became much more common throughout the world because of this study and the concerted efforts by Dr. Sidney Baker to use what he called the “antifungal parade” to treat ASD, although it was not completely clear if the benefits of antifungal treatments were due to the control of yeast (Candida), mold, or both. Recently Dr. Baker treated a young boy with significant ASD using the drugs Itraconazole and Sporanox, drugs that are very useful for the control of many molds. As a result of the treatment, the child had a complete and very rapid recovery from ASD. Testing at The Great Plains Laboratory found that the child’s rapid recovery correlated with a drastic drop in metabolites associated with the mold Aspergillus.