Probiotics Fundamentals: Part 1 Specific Strains

What is the difference between a Species and a Strain? To understand this, view Species as “dogs” and strains as specific types. Is picking a Chihuahua as a police dog a good choice, or a St. Bernard suitable for someone with disability living in a one room apartment?

The chart below shows different aspects of different strains for Lactobacillus Reuteri. When you buy a probiotic names “Lactobacillus Reuteri”, it is unlikely which species if was obtained from is specified on the bottle. If it was not from a human, it is very unlikely that it will reproduce or take root in your body.

Probiotic manufacturers and packagers are focused on making money. They will ask for the cheapest source for a probiotic that they expect to be able to sell for the greatest profit. Human source is not a factor, cheapness is!

I have known people that are histamine sensitive that are fine with one brand of Lactobacillus Reuteri but get sick from another brand…. Looking at the chart below, the answer is obvious: One has a histamine producer and one does not.

From prediction to function using evolutionary genomics: human-specific ecotypes of Lactobacillusreuteri have diverse probiotic functions[2014].

Researched but not for sale

This morning I was asked about Bacteroides fragilis BF839 which is cited in several studies on the US National Library of Medicine. Most of the studies are from 2024 or 2025. At present, it is not for sale anywhere and I do not expect it to be for five(5) years at least because of approval processes. Given the authors’ location, I expect it will be first available in China.

Researched and Stain is for sale 

Several years ago I set up a free page listing those available (somewhere in the world). I also automated a weekly automatic scan of the US National Library of Medicine for any new studies using these strains. The page is kept up to date.

Occasionally, someone emails me about a new strain that has one or more studies associated. I add those to the list. If you find one that I missed, please email me!

The page allows searching across the studies abstracts for key words. For example, if you are interested in Autism, just enter that and click search. The page will then show the retail brands with links to the studies.

The intent of the page is discourage random trial of probiotics which has no effect (except on bank accounts).

List of Strains with name of product or seller

At present we are at 156 different strains. These are listed below.

  • Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001: Pendukum Glucose Control
  • Aspergillus oryzae NK: strong wakamoto w
  • Bacillus clausii MCC 0538: Biome Ultra
  • Bacillus clausii N/R: Enterogermina
  • Bacillus clausii O/C: Enterogermina
  • Bacillus clausii SC-109: MegaSporebiotic
  • Bacillus clausii SIN: Enterogermina
  • Bacillus clausii T: Enterogermina
  • Bacillus coagulans ATCC 5856: Nature’s Sunshine Bacillus Coagulans,
  • Bacillus coagulans DSM 17654: Biome Ultra
  • Bacillus coagulans GBI-30: Schiff® Digestive Advantage® Daily Probiotic
  • Bacillus coagulans SC-208: MegaSporebiotic
  • Bacillus coagulans SC208: Eded 3 in 1
  • Bacillus Coagulans SNZ1969: Jetson FIT
  • Bacillus coagulans Unique IS-2: Optibac Probiotics Adult Gummies Probiotics
  • Bacillus indicus HU36: MegaSporebiotic
  • Bacillus licheniformis DSM5749: PrecisionBiome
  • Bacillus mesentericus (subtilis) TO-A: AOR, Probiotic 3
  • Bacillus subtilis ATCC SD 7280: Biome Ultra
  • Bacillus subtilis BG01-4TM: VERNX
  • Bacillus subtilis DE111 : Probiotic w/ DE111
  • Bacillus subtilis DSM17299: PrecisionBiome
  • Bacillus Subtilis HU58: MegaSporebiotic
  • Bacillus Subtilis MB40: Country Farms Super Flora Probiotics
  • Bacteroides xylanisolvens DSM 23964: AVI-1 (pending on market)
  • Bifidobacterium adolescentis IVS-1: Synbiotic Health ISV-1
  • Bifidobacterium adolescentis PRL2019: Gabapral
  • Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420: UltraFlora® Control
  • Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis CUL-34 (NCIMB 30153): Genestra Brands – HMF Neuro Powder
  • Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis HN019: Optibac Every Day Max
  • Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145: Culturelle Healthy Metabolism + Weight Management Supplement
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-06: Custom Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum CUL-20 (NCIMB 30172) : Genestra Brands – HMF Neuro Powder
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 (BBG9-1): Phillips’® Colon Health
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum HA-132: Human Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 (SYN-HI-001): IRRITABLE COLON PRO KIJIMEA
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum W23: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Bifidobacterium breve HA-129: Human Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium Breve LMG 11613: Bioflora (Mexico)
  • Bifidobacterium breve M-16V: Optibac Probiotics Professional
  • Bifidobacterium breve PRL2020: PharmExtracta / Brevicillin Stick
  • Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12: Nestlé
  • Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07: UltraFlora® Balance
  • Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04: Optibac Probiotics Every Day MAX Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium lactis BL-4: Custom Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium lactis W51: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Bifidobacterium lactis W52: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Bifidobacterium longum 1714: Zenflore®
  • Bifidobacterium longum 35624: Align
  • Bifidobacterium longum BB536: Probiotic Pro Bb536
  • Bifidobacterium longum BL-05: Custom Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium longum ES1: PharmExtracta / Gliadines buccal stickpacks
  • Bifidobacterium longum MM-2: Phillips’® Colon Health
  • Bifidobacterium longum R0175: Calm Biotic®
  • Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis R0033: Human Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium longum ssp. longum HA-135: Human Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis Bi-26: Custom Probiotics
  • Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis NLS: Life Start 2
  • Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies infantis Strain EVC001: Evivo® Infant Probiotic Powder
  • Bifidobacterium longum W108: Ecologic® Relief
  • Bifidobacterium longum W11: PharmExtracta / Bowell
  • Clostridium Butyricum MIYAIRI: Miyarisan
  • Clostridium butyricum TO-A: AOR, Probiotic 3
  • Clostridium butyricum WB-STR-0006 : Pendukum Glucose Control
  • Enterococcus faecalis T-110: AOR, Probiotic 3
  • Enterococcus faecium L3: PharmExtracta / INatal Sachets
  • Enterococcus faecium SBS 1: Shin Biofermin S
  • Enterococcus faecium SF 68: Bioflorin
  • Enterococcus faecium W54: Ecologic® AAD
  • Escherichia coli , Laves strain 1931: Colibiogen
  • Eubacterium hallii WB-STR-0008: Pendukum Glucose Control
  • Hafnia alvei HA4597: SymbioLife ® Satylia
  • Heat Killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137: Swanson Immunobiotic Immuno-LP20
  • Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei CNCM I-1518: DanActive
  • Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001: Optibac Probiotics Babies & Children Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus acidophillus CUL-21 (NCIMB 30156): Genestra Brands – HMF Neuro Powder
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356: resB® Lung Support
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285: Bio-K+
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus CUL-60 (NCIMB 30157): Genestra Brands – HMF Neuro Powder
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus HA-122: Human Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-14: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus Acidophilus LA1: Flora Pro Fem with Cranberry
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM: UltraFlora® Balance
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus W22: Ecologic Performance
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus W37: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus W55: Ecologic® Allergycare
  • Lactobacillus brevis W63: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactobacillus casei LBC80R: Bio-K+
  • Lactobacillus casei LC-11: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus casei R0215: PharmExtracta / INatal Sachets
  • Lactobacillus casei Shirota: Yakult
  • Lactobacillus casei W56: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactobacillus casei W79: Ecologic® Relief
  • Lactobacillus crispatus LbV 88 (DSM 22566): AZO Complete Feminine Balance
  • Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3: Reg’Activ Essential ME-3
  • Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13: Phillips’® Colon Health
  • Lactobacillus gasseri LbV 150N (DSM 22583): AZO Complete Feminine Balance
  • Lactobacillus Gasseri LMG 266: Bioflora (Mexico)
  • Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055: gasseri SP strain capsule
  • LACTOBACILLUS HELVETICUS L10: LACTOBACILLUS HELVETICUS LAFTI® L10
  • Lactobacillus helveticus R0052: Calm Biotic®
  • Lactobacillus jensenii LbV 116 (DSM 22567): AZO Complete Feminine Balance
  • Lactobacillus Kefiri LKF01 (DSM 32079) LKEF : Kefibios
  • Lactobacillus paracasei (case)i 431: For daily immunity
  • Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2: UltraFlora® Cold Support
  • Lactobacillus paracasei F-19: Optibac Probiotics For Women Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus paracasei W20: Ecologic® AAD
  • Lactobacillus plantarum 299v: Jarrow Formulas Ideal Bowel Support
  • Lactobacillus plantarum DR7: SymbioLact ® Pro Sleep
  • Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL9: UltraFlora® Cold Support
  • Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-115: Custom Probiotics
  • lactobacillus plantarum LP45: Natealth
  • lactobacillus plantarum ps128: Neurobiotique PS128
  • Lactobacillus plantarum W1: Winclove Senior
  • Lactobacillus plantarum W21: Ecologic Travel
  • Lactobacillus plantarum W62: Ecologic® AAD
  • Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 5289: BioGaia® ProDentis
  • Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938: BioGaia®
  • Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14: RepHresh™ Pro-B™ Probiotic
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus CLR2: Bio-K+
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG: Culturelle®
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1: RepHresh™ Pro-B™ Probiotic
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-111: Human Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus LbV96 (DSM 22560): AZO Complete Feminine Balance
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lcr35: Provacare®
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus LR1: Flora Pro Fem with Cranberry
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011: Flora Pregnancy Care Probiotic
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus W71: Ecologic® AAD
  • Lactobacillus Sakei pro-Bio-65: Kimchi Power
  • Lactobacillus salivarius HA-118: Human Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus Salivarius Ls-33: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118: UltraFlora® Integrity
  • Lactobacillus salivarius W24: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus ATCC 53103: resB® Lung Support
  • Lactococcus lactis JCM5805 (L. lactis plasma): IMMUNOFLORA
  • Lactococcus lactis LL-23: Custom Probiotics
  • Lactococcus lactis W19: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactococcus lactis W58: Ecologic® Barrier for Metabolic Health
  • Lactoplantibacillus plantarum ATCC BAA-793: resB® Lung Support
  • Limosilactobacillus reuteri SD5865: Natures-Way-Primadophilus-Reuteri-Pearls
  • Mutaflor (Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917): Mutaflor (Canada, Australia, Findland, Germany)
  • Oxalobacter formigenes DSM 4420: TrueMeds
  • Pediococcus Acidilactici NRRL B-50517: Imagilin Nutri-5051
  • Prescript Assist(multi species): Prescript Assist (dispute on formula change)
  • Propionibacterium freudenreichii shermanii : Optim Propionibacter
  • Saccharomyces boulardii (Klaire Labs): Klaire Labs Saccharomyces boulardii
  • Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745: Florastor®
  • Saccharomyces Boulardii THT 500101: Bioflora (Mexico)
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079: Pure Encapsulations
  • Streptococcus salivarius K12: BLIS ThroatHealth Oral Probiotics
  • Streptococcus thermophilus ST-21: Custom Probiotics
  • Symbioflor 1: German Apotheke by Paul’s Mart
  • Symbioflor 2: German Apotheke by Paul’s Mart
  • VSL3 / Visbiome / De Simone Formulation: Alfasigma USA, Inc.

Safest Product for Correct Identification

These strains are usually under legal protection and thus the manufacturer has a vested (financial) interest to make sure that “what is advertised is delivered”.

Why is this important, just look at some of the literature

Your first choice should be the probiotics that are most likely to be as advertised and has been studied for the symptom of condition that you are interested in.

Microbiome manipulation to improve Autism Symptoms

A reader requested a straightforward video on how to use the Microbiome Prescription (MP) site for her autistic child. While there isn’t an ultra-simple way, there are two main approaches:

  • One method is to compare your child’s results to samples from other autistic children, tested at the same lab. MP identifies which key bacteria (KB#1) to target for changes this way.
  • The second method uses scientific literature about autism from the US National Library of Medicine. These studies use many different labs, which are not standardized—so results can vary (KB#2).

With either method, MP suggests probiotics based on limited research. The lists of bacteria identified (KB#1 and KB#2) help determine using the novel R2 algorithm which probiotics might help, using a very large data pool. This creates four sets of probiotic recommendations, which you’ll need to manually review—look for overlaps in suggestions or options that none of the sets disagree with.

MP can also use identified nutrients to suggest which foods to include or avoid in the diet.

Note: Suggestions are specific to an individual — bacteria shifts are different from one person to the next.

Vaccines – the MAGA-Red Herring for Autism

I am a statistician by training and experience. A common problem with people is to project causation on a random association (often of thousands possible) that agrees with ideological beliefs or doctrines. In this post, I will look at the dramatic increase of autism through the eyes of statistican. I will not be documenting the shyte out of things, just hitting highlights with many borrowed graphics.

The Reality

Before the 1960s, autism was considered a very rare condition, with prevalence estimates around 0.05% (1 in 2,000 children). This contrasts with recent estimates, which are significantly higher. Some studies from the 1960s and 70s reported prevalence rates between 2 and 4 cases per 10,000 children. 

Vaccines

First, a 2025 study Large Danish Study: No link between vaccines and autism or 49 other health conditions using data from a national medical system (i.e. uniformity of treatment and records) with a high degree of uniformity in nutrition and other compounding analysis issues — effectively should end this red-herring that is popular in MAGA groups

Simple Culture Changes

A few years ago I wrote Autism Factors where I reviewed what was found to be very statistically significant including the following:

  • Age of mother
  • Caesarean delivery
  • Breast Feeding

Marrying Older means more Autism

The increase of age shown below follow the above curve well!

We also see that in age of birthing parents. Notice that both above and below, we have a flatening around 2010.

Looking at C-Sections, we seem more matching of patterns. Also breastfeeding decreases risk of autism.

Less Kids –> More Autism

Studies have revealed that the odds of a first child having autism is 160% of the chance of a second child. As the number of kids decrease, the number of kids with autism will increase. Assuming that everyone has one kid and 16/1000 has autism. With an average of 4 kids, it should drop to 11/1000. That is a 32% drop in the rate of autism

“Inbreeding”

Additional studies found increase incidence when both parents are involved with mathematics and computers. It has been suggested that DNA mutation that allows people to be successful in those occupations effectively increased the odd of an “in-breeding like” child. One mutation is fine, matching mutations is horrible.

Environmental Factors

The chart below makes this potential clear. “We found the previously reported relationship between precipitation and autism in a county was dependent on the amount of drinking water derived from surface sources in the county.” [2012]

Looking at some factors

PFAS-contaminated water or food is strongly associated: “Longitudinal study links PFAS contamination with teas, processed meats and food packaging“. This leads to this report: Autism rates declining among wealthy whites, escalating among poor. Wealthy whites are more prone to eat organic, avoid fast and processed foods.

The study, published Thursday in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, raises the possibility that parents in wealthier counties are successfully reducing environmental exposures that may contribute to autism risk, or taking other steps to curb its severity early on.

This leads on a last factor, the microbiome: Bacteria Associated with Autism from Microbiome Prescription, or if you prefer, Studies on the US National Library of Medicine. Bacteria is strongly associated to diet, i.e. processed meats and food additives to name a few.

Bottom Line

Autism is not purely genetic in a strict sense (if may be a significant factor), but age of birth, birth order, mother’s environmental issues are significant factors. All of these are “before the fact” issue. The best options for “after the fact” appear to be:

  • Environment
  • Microbiome manipulation

Concerning drugs, most drugs alter the microbiome and it is unclear if the drug is directly causing improvement, or indirectly by altering the microbiome.

The data that tend to follow or correlate alongside autism rate—meaning demographics, diagnostic trends, or related variables often tracked or reported with autism prevalence—include:

  • Age: Autism diagnoses are most commonly made in early childhood, especially between ages 2 and 8. Prevalence estimates are often reported for specific age cohorts, such as age 4 or 8, which the CDC uses for tracking trends.
  • Sex: A consistent male predominance is reported, usually about a 4-to-1 male-to-female ratio in childhood diagnoses. However, recognition of autism in girls lags behind, with many women diagnosed much later, suggesting under-identification in females.
  • Race/Ethnicity: Rates of diagnosis have historically been higher in white children, but recent data show increases among children of color as diagnostic access and awareness grow.
  • Socioeconomic Status: Diagnosis rates may connect to family income, healthcare access, and parental education, but increasing prevalence in different demographics may reflect better awareness and diagnostic efforts rather than true increases in incidence.
  • Geography: Autism prevalence varies by region and state, partly due to differences in healthcare systems, special education reporting, and diagnostic practices.
  • Method of Case Finding: Surveillance approaches (e.g., school/education records, medical billing data, or direct assessment) influence reported rates. Records-review surveillance and direct assessment generally yield higher prevalence than administrative counts.
  • Comorbid Conditions: Many studies note higher rates of intellectual disability, ADHD, anxiety, or other neurodevelopmental issues reported in those diagnosed with autism.
  • Time: Time trends are a key data point. Autism prevalence has risen substantially since the 2000s, largely attributed to broader diagnostic criteria, greater awareness, and increased screening—not necessarily a true rise in underlying incidence.
  • Diagnosis Age and Early Identification: Data often track the percentage of children diagnosed by a certain age, as early diagnosis is important for access to services.

Picking Probiotics for Autism via R2 site

This post uses this May 2025 study for selecting bacteria desired to be shifted.

Perturbations in gut microbiota in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review [May 2025]

BacteriaDirection
Eubacteriales, Klebsiella, and ClostridiumStatistically High
OscillospiraDorea, and CollinsellaEnriched
StreptococcusAkkermansiaCoprococcus, and DialisteDepleted

Our approach is simple, we look up each on Microbiome Taxa R2 Site. We then look at probiotics bacteria that are associated with desired shifts.

What is Microbiome Taxa R2 Site

It based on associations determined from 1000 healthy individuals using shotgun analysis,

This is followed by a table of the bacteria associations. This table has probiotics identified (including several that are pending).

Bottom Line

Looking on the impact, the following three probiotics would be my top choice:

Why not just use studies? There is nothing wrong with using studies. Pages listing studies result are linked to from each of the above pages. The difference is that with this approach you get the relative impact (R2) between probiotics which is not available from the studies. Also, some probiotics have very few studies, i.e. Lactococcus cremoris. Using both published studies and this tool gives the maximum coverage.

Bacteria Shifts that are Statistically Significant for Autism

Recently I have been updating the statistic processing for association though diverse methods. Everything below is P < 0.005 (or 1 in 200 of happening at random).

From Ombre data

BacteriaRankShift
Bifidobacterium bifidumspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium subtilespeciesToo High
HungateiclostridiaceaefamilyToo High
LiquorilactobacillusgenusToo High
Liquorilactobacillus vinispeciesToo High
NeisseriaceaefamilyToo High
Peptoniphilus obesispeciesToo Low
SenegalimassiliagenusToo High
unclassified ClostridialesfamilyToo High

From Biomesight Data

One note, we do 4 different computations and in general they agree with each other (the Monte Carlo or Consensus Model). For Bifidobacterium species, that is not the case, some computations suggests too high and other computations suggests too low. Bifidobacterium with Autism have a variety of disagreements between studies. In this case, we know that the disagreement is due to the statistical method used.

As seen below, there is over prevalence (seen more often), but the values are smaller than the reference population.

BacteriaRankStatistical TestP ValueShift
Bifidobacterium angulatumspeciesChi-2 prevalence3.21E-12Too High
Bifidobacterium angulatumspeciesMann_Whitney_Wilcoxon0.000456655Too Low
Bifidobacterium angulatumspeciesAverages0.000464826Too Low

BacteriaRankShift
AbsiellagenusToo High
AcidaminococcusgenusToo High
ActinomycesgenusToo Low
ActinomycetaceaefamilyToo Low
ActinomycetesclassToo Low
ActinomycetotaphylumToo Low
AgromycesgenusToo High
Agromyces salentinusspeciesToo High
AmoebophilaceaefamilyToo High
AnaerotruncusgenusToo High
Anaerotruncus colihominisspeciesToo High
AnaerovibriogenusToo High
Anaerovibrio lipolyticusspeciesToo High
BacteroidesgenusToo High
Bacteroides cellulosilyticusspeciesToo High
Bacteroides faecisspeciesToo High
Bacteroides finegoldiispeciesToo High
Bacteroides fragilisspeciesToo Low
Bacteroides rodentiumspeciesToo High
Bacteroides stercorirosorisspeciesToo High
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicronspeciesToo High
Bacteroides uniformisspeciesToo High
BifidobacteriaceaefamilyToo Low
BifidobacterialesorderToo Low
BifidobacteriumgenusToo Low
Bifidobacterium adolescentisspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium angulatumspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium angulatumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium bifidumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium catenulatumspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium catenulatumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium catenulatum PV20-2strainToo High
Bifidobacterium catenulatum PV20-2strainToo Low
Bifidobacterium catenulatum subsp. kashiwanohensesubspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium catenulatum subsp. kashiwanohensesubspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium choerinumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium cuniculispeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium gallicumspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium gallicumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium indicumspeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium indicumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium longumspeciesToo Low
Bifidobacterium scardoviispeciesToo High
Bifidobacterium subtilespeciesToo Low
BurkholderiagenusToo Low
Burkholderiales genera incertae sedisno rankToo Low
Caloramator fervidusspeciesToo High
Caloramator indicusspeciesToo High
Candidatus AmoebophilusgenusToo High
Candidatus Amoebophilus asiaticusspeciesToo High
Candidatus BlochmanniellagenusToo High
Candidatus Blochmanniella camponotispeciesToo High
ClostridiumgenusToo High
Clostridium chartatabidumspeciesToo High
Clostridium thermosuccinogenesspeciesToo High
Collinsella aerofaciensspeciesToo Low
CoriobacteriiaclassToo Low
DesulfotomaculaceaefamilyToo High
DesulfovibriogenusToo High
DesulfuromonadaceaefamilyToo Low
DesulfuromusagenusToo Low
EnterobactergenusToo Low
Enterobacter cloacae complexspecies groupToo High
Enterobacter hormaecheispeciesToo High
EnterobacteralesorderToo Low
EnterobacteriaceaefamilyToo Low
Enterobacteriaceae incertae sedisno rankToo High
ErysipelothrixgenusToo High
EscherichiagenusToo Low
Escherichia colispeciesToo Low
EukaryotasuperkingdomToo Low
GammaproteobacteriaclassToo Low
GeopsychrobacteraceaefamilyToo Low
HathewayagenusToo High
Hathewaya histolyticaspeciesToo High
HungateiclostridiaceaefamilyToo High
HungateiclostridiumgenusToo High
HydrogenophilaceaefamilyToo Low
HydrogenophilalesorderToo Low
HydrogenophiliaclassToo Low
Klebsiella oxytocaspeciesToo High
MegamonasgenusToo High
MegamonasgenusToo Low
Megamonas funiformisspeciesToo High
Megamonas funiformisspeciesToo Low
Moorella groupnorankToo High
OscillospiragenusToo High
ParascardoviagenusToo High
ParascardoviagenusToo Low
PedobactergenusToo High
PeptoniphilaceaefamilyToo High
PeptoniphilusgenusToo High
Phascolarctobacterium succinatutensspeciesToo High
PhocaeicolagenusToo High
Phocaeicola paurosaccharolyticusspeciesToo High
Phocaeicola sartoriispeciesToo High
Phocaeicola vulgatusspeciesToo High
PorphyromonasgenusToo High
PseudoclostridiumgenusToo High
RhodothermalesorderToo High
RhodothermiaclassToo High
RhodothermotaphylumToo High
SarcinagenusToo Low
Sarcina maximaspeciesToo Low
SegatellagenusToo Low
Segatella albensisspeciesToo Low
Segatella coprispeciesToo Low
Segatella oulorumspeciesToo High
SelenomonasgenusToo High
Selenomonas infelixspeciesToo High
SphingobacteriaceaefamilyToo High
SphingobacterialesorderToo High
SphingobacteriiaclassToo High
Sphingobacterium bambusaespeciesToo High
Streptococcus intermediusspeciesToo High
Streptococcus mutansspeciesToo High
Streptococcus thermophilusspeciesToo Low
ThiomonasgenusToo Low
TissierellalesorderToo High
unclassified Bacteroidetes Order II.orderToo High
VeillonellagenusToo Low
Veillonella montpellierensisspeciesToo Low

High Functioning Autism

We have smaller sample size, but do have some significant items

Ombre Data

BacteriaRankShift
Butyricimonas paravirosaspeciesToo High
HallellagenusToo High
Hallella multisaccharivoraxspeciesToo High
Hoylesella oralisspeciesToo High
Hoylesella timonensisspeciesToo High
LeyellagenusToo High
Leyella stercoreaspeciesToo High
Segatella baroniaespeciesToo High
Segatella maculosaspeciesToo High
Xylanibacter brevisspeciesToo High

Biomesight Data

BacteriaRankShift
Bilophila wadsworthiaspeciesToo Low
ErysipelothrixgenusToo Low
Erysipelothrix murisspeciesToo Low
HoldemaniagenusToo Low

I will revisit as more data comes in.

Statistically Significant Bacteria shifts seen in Autism

Statistics is fun because there many paths. Most studies using the microbiome uses the easy, but naïve, path of computing averages and standard deviation. As my dataset has grown, I have been travelling some less traveled path, for example: Visual Exploration of Odds Ratios, and a patent pending method termed “Kaltoft-Moltrup”.

One of the frequent decisions that I see in studies is to limit examination of bacteria that have a high frequency in the samples. This allows the researchers to keep to familiar and classic statistics. Using frequency of observation in the control group and the condition group is one of these much less travelled paths. It usually require big sample sizes and many studies have a sample size of 30 (sufficient for the mean and standard deviation approach).

I just completed code to compute Chi2 using Biomesight data for users reporting Autism.

  • Control Population: 3525
  • Autism: 88

Chi2 can be converted to probability (p) of happening at random with the following table

Seen too Rarely(Want to increase)

We see one bacteria available as a probiotic Bifidobacterium adolescentis. The rest would need to be altered by diet.

tax_nameTAX_RANKChi2ObservedExpectedShift
Butyricimonas synergisticaspecies101736Under-Represented
Bifidobacterium adolescentis JCM 15918strain9.8924Under-Represented
Dehalobacteriumgenus9.71837Under-Represented
Pelotomaculum isophthalicicumspecies81733Under-Represented
Ammonifex thiophilusspecies7.31732Under-Represented

Seen too Often (Want to decrease)

We see 32 bacteria over a Chi2 of 6.635 ( P < 0.01 or 1 change in 100 of being a false detection). One very striking feature is that there are many, many different species of Bifidobacterium that are over represented while one species is under represented. This is not a simple situation to address.

tax_nameTAX_RANKChi2ObservedExpectedShift
Bifidobacterium catenulatum subsp. kashiwanohensesubspecies43.55423Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium angulatumspecies333916Over-Represented
Staphylococcus pseudolugdunensisspecies23.6207Over-Represented
Clostridium cellulovoransspecies22.9207Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium catenulatum PV20-2strain19.55833Over-Represented
Streptococcus mutansspecies192310Over-Represented
Hungateiclostridiumgenus18.33014Over-Represented
Hungateiclostridiaceaefamily18.13014Over-Represented
Streptococcus intermediusspecies17.52310Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium catenulatumspecies16.95834Over-Represented
Absiellagenus16.72210Over-Represented
Clostridium chartatabidumspecies16.74323Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium gallicumspecies15.47347Over-Represented
Prevotella veroralisspecies13156Over-Represented
Corynebacterium durumspecies12.6146Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium thermacidophilumspecies11.3188Over-Represented
Parascardoviagenus10.53218Over-Represented
Klebsiella oxytocaspecies10.52715Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium scardoviispecies103017Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium cuniculispecies9.93118Over-Represented
Candidatus Blochmanniella camponotispecies9.82111Over-Represented
Abiotrophiagenus9.2125Over-Represented
Enterococcus gilvusspecies9.1146Over-Represented
Megamonas funiformisspecies8.82111Over-Represented
Segatella oulorumspecies8.62212Over-Represented
Ralstoniagenus7.9147Over-Represented
Bifidobacterium indicumspecies7.76748Over-Represented
Candidatus Blochmanniellagenus7.23522Over-Represented
ant endosymbiontsclade7.23522Over-Represented
unclassified Bacteroidetes Order II.order7.27555Over-Represented
Enterobacter hormaecheispecies6.93623Over-Represented
Moorella groupnorank6.76648Over-Represented

Bottom Line

The next step is to compute similar tables for all symptoms and incorporate these findings into a new algorithm. I say new, because I do not know if it is better than the existing ones. Conceptually, it would be added as a 5th set of suggestions to the existing consensus view on Microbiome Prescription.

Bacteria Associated with Autism

This is a preview of the next generation of analysis. I described a mathematical model in Microbiome Guilds, Metabolites and Enzymes. I mentioned a concept in it and over the weekend tried the concept out. It worked and is very sweet.

To explain it, look at the chart below. The blue line is for those that have a symptom and the orange line is what is expected. If you divide observed by expected for different percentiles, you get an odds ratio. Most people know odds ratio (OR) from things like:

For current male smokers consuming >30 cigarettes daily:

  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SqCC): OR = 103.5
  • Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC): OR = 111.3
  • Adenocarcinoma (AdCa): OR = 21.91

This pattern does not determine that you will absolutely get it. It means that your are more likely — odds. (My native environment as a statistican)

This means that we move from a vague hand-waving “Too high” or “Too Low” to actual numbers (percentiles to be precise, not percentages).

Biomesight Bacteria

The genus bacteria listed below, each have at least an odds ratio of 1.5 for general fatigue using Biomesight data if your percentile is below the amount show. I stopped listing at 10%ile items. Compared to my earlier post for Bacteria Associated with General Fatigue, we have some really string candidates – 90!. 96 means 96%ile.

If you have 10 of them then 1.5 ^ 10 = 57x greater odds of having general fatigue. It is NOT one bacteria causing it, or even a specific group of bacteria, but different combinations of possible bacteria.

I should mention that these numbers only applies to Biomesight data. “results from one pipeline cannot be safely applied to another“. For background see: The taxonomy nightmare before Christmas.

. It potentially allows a screening test to be done for autism from a microbiome sample (and also hints at what specifically needs to be corrected).

  • Chlorobaculum >= 96
  • Roseococcus >= 94.9
  • Marichromatium >= 93.8
  • Ectothiorhodospira >= 93.8
  • Aquimonas >= 93.5
  • Xenophilus >= 92.5
  • Neorickettsia >= 90.9
  • Syntrophobacter >= 90
  • Pelomonas >= 88.5
  • Trichococcus >= 88
  • Steroidobacter >= 86.5
  • Desulfofrigus >= 65
  • Hathewaya <= 47.6
  • Pseudoclostridium <= 42.2
  • Desulfovibrio <= 37.9
  • Anaerovibrio <= 37.1
  • Ehrlichia <= 36.1
  • Phocaeicola <= 36
  • Johnsonella <= 30
  • Acetobacterium <= 27.6
  • Candidatus Amoebophilus <= 27.2
  • Oscillospira <= 25.2
  • Anaerotruncus <= 25.1
  • Erysipelothrix <= 24.9
  • Bacteroides <= 24.6
  • Porphyromonas <= 21.2
  • Selenomonas <= 21
  • Pedobacter <= 20.1

Ombre Equivalent Bacteria

If you have Ombre’s microbiome results, these are the critical bacteria. It is a much smaller list then above (and as expected, very few bacteria names in common — “the nightmare”)

  • Cystobacter >= 95.8
  • Cellulomonas >= 95.2
  • Tannerella <= 39.6
  • Erysipelatoclostridium <= 34.7
  • Alistipes <= 29.1
  • Alloprevotella <= 28.8
  • Phocaeicola <= 28.6
  • Oleidesulfovibrio <= 27.6
  • Pseudoflavonifractor <= 27.5
  • Odoribacter <= 25.6
  • Ethanoligenens <= 24.9
  • Pedobacter <= 24.3
  • Leyella <= 23.8

uBiome Equivalent Bacteria

There was not sufficient data to compute bacteria odds ration

Metabolites

I did a follow up post using Odds Ratio with Metabolites in the context of ME/CFS.

Metabolite-Centric Analysis

Bacterial Metabolic Activity: Bacteria produce and consume various metabolites, which can significantly impact the host’s metabolic environment13.Metabolic Imbalances: Different bacterial compositions can lead to similar metabolite imbalances, making metabolite profiles potentially more informative than bacterial species profiles alone8.

Advantages of This Approach

  1. Net Effect: By examining metabolites, we can assess the overall impact of the microbiome on the host, regardless of the specific bacterial species present5.
  2. Consistency: Metabolite imbalances may be more consistent across patients than bacterial species composition, which can vary widely7.
  3. Functional Insight: This approach provides insight into the functional consequences of microbiome dysbiosis in ME/CFS3 8.

KEGG Application

Using the KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,(KEGG) allows for:

  • Mapping of metabolites to specific pathways
  • Identification of key metabolic alterations in ME/CFS patients
  • Potential discovery of new biomarkers or therapeutic targets7

Metabolite Profiling in ME/CFS

Recent studies have identified several metabolic alterations in ME/CFS patients:

  • Disruptions in energy metabolism and mitochondrial function2 5
  • Alterations in lipid metabolism, including changes in ceramides and complex lipids4
  • Disturbances in amino acid metabolism8

Clinical Implications

Understanding metabolite profiles in ME/CFS could lead to:

  • Improved diagnostic tools
  • Identification of potential therapeutic targets
  • Personalized treatment approaches based on individual metabolic profiles58

I am showing the numbers for Biomesight sample below. Conclusions across Ombre, uBiome and Biomesight are at the bottom.

Warning: These are the chemical names — a few are available as supplements with more common name.

Looking for Metabolites shared between Ombre and Biomesight samples, only a single metabolite was flagged by both for low: Hydroquinone (1.6%ile for Ombre, 26%ile for Biomesight).

Ombre flagged some 510 metabolites, while Biomesight flagged 542 metabolites. Too much to drill down into. So let us look at the shared one above in more detail.

Based on the Perplexity search results, hydroquinone has shown some interesting connections to cognitive functions, particularly in the context of brain injury and neuroprotection:

Neuroprotective Effects

Hydroquinone (HQ) has demonstrated significant neuroprotective properties in experimental models of brain injury:

  1. In a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia, HQ treatment strongly alleviated ischemic brain injury3 4.
  2. The neuroprotective effect of HQ was associated with the prevention of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption3. This is crucial because the BBB plays a vital role in maintaining brain homeostasis and protecting cognitive functions.
  3. HQ treatment maintained the expression of tight junction proteins in the ischemic cortex, which are essential for BBB integrity3.

Potential Cognitive Benefits

While not directly tested for cognitive enhancement, the neuroprotective effects of HQ suggest potential cognitive benefits:

  1. By preventing BBB disruption, HQ may help maintain normal brain function and protect against cognitive decline associated with ischemic events3.
  2. Both pre- and post-treatment with HQ showed protective effects against ischemic damage in experimental models6. This suggests potential applications in both preventive and therapeutic contexts for cognitive protection.

Considerations and Limitations

It’s important to note some limitations and considerations:

  1. Most studies on HQ’s neuroprotective effects have been conducted in animal models, and more research is needed to confirm these effects in humans3 4 .
  2. The typical use of HQ as a skin-lightening agent is unrelated to its potential cognitive effects5. Its primary application remains in dermatology.
  3. High doses or long-term use of HQ may have adverse effects. A study on percutaneous drug delivery showed that high doses of HQ could impair hippocampal structure and induce behavioral disorders in mice1.

In conclusion, while hydroquinone shows promising neuroprotective effects that could potentially benefit cognitive functions, especially in the context of brain injury, more research is needed to fully understand its impact on human cognition and to determine safe and effective applications beyond its current use in dermatology.

Bottom Line

Adding this to the website to allow individual analysis of individual microbiome is high on my backlog. One of the benefits is the ability to focus on specific bacteria being at specific levels which conceptually should result in better suggestions.

An unexplored path to treat Autism

This post started with the post below on Facebook

I was curious if by chance some bacteria produced it. To find such information you must start with KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. On that site we find a description of the condition, we also find information about this enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP+) EC 1.1.1.49

Since it is deficiency, we look for an alternative supply from bacteria in the microbiome. There are many bacteria that has the capacity of producing it, but the enzyme may not be turned on (epigenetics). I was directed by perplexity to Wikipedia. This identifies a bacteria that is likely a high (actual) producer.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides: This bacterium has been shown to possess a G6PD enzyme that is reactive toward 4-hydroxynonenal, in addition to glucose-6-phosphate

This bacteria is available as a probiotic (one source).

General Information about Autism Enzymes and Compound Production

From the hundreds of donated microbiome samples annotated with Autism on Microbiome Prescription, I have done some statistical analysis (using a patent pending method for partitioning samples), “poor man metagenomics”, and have produce a summary on those who have an official diagnosis of autism.

First, I checked if EC 1.1.1.49 was on the list. It was not, which implies that is not a very common item across all autism patients.

Browsing the lists I did find two familiar items being high:

  • (R)-Lactate – also known as d-lactic acid, a common cause of brain fog and other neurological conditions see this for a list.
  • L-Histidine which is likely a protective feature (more information)

The amount of (R)-Lactate reported above was computed from the microbiome data which implies that reducing its level by microbiome manipulation is a viable path.

Modelling on an individual sample

With recent revisions of the UI, I have built an algorithm to select the probiotics that supply the maximum amount of these KEGG compounds and Enzymes that most meet the deficiencies detected.

To illustrate this feature, I took one of the autism samples upload and ask for the suggestions.

Below is the results of probiotics to increase the low KEGG compound in this sample.

Below is the results of probiotics to increase the low KEGG Enzymes in this sample. They are reasonably close to each other.

Bottom Line

This is all theoretical, but as probiotics are usually deemed to be safe and without significant risks, it is a possible experiment to try. Always take detail notes and report benefits and problems as comments on this post

It is interesting to note that the common Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are not need the top of either list.

An older video on the process

Postscript and Reminder

As a statistician with relevant degrees and professional memberships, I present data and statistical models for evaluation by medical professionals. I am not a licensed medical practitioner and must adhere to strict laws regarding the appearance of practicing medicine. My work focuses on academic models and scientific language, particularly statistics. I cannot provide direct medical advice or tell individuals what to take or avoid.My analyses aim to inform about items that statistically show better odds of improving the microbiome. All suggestions should be reviewed by a qualified medical professional before implementation. The information provided describes my logic and thinking and is not intended as personal medical advice. Always consult with your knowledgeable healthcare provider.

Implementation Strategies

  1. Rotate bacteria inhibitors (antibiotics, herbs, probiotics) every 1-2 weeks
  2. Some herbs/spices are compatible with probiotics (e.g., Wormwood with Bifidobacteria)
  3. Verify dosages against reliable sources or research studies, not commercial product labels. This Dosages page may help.
  4. There are 3 suppliers of probiotics that I prefer: Custom Probiotics Maple Life Science™Bulk Probiotics: see Probiotics post for why
  5. My preferred provider for herbs etc is Maple Life Science™ – they are all organic, fresh, without fillers, and very reasonably priced.

Professional Medical Review Recommended

Individual health conditions may make some suggestions inappropriate. Mind Mood Microbes outlines some of what her consultation service considers:
A comprehensive medical assessment should consider:

  • Terrain-related data
  • Signs of low stomach acid, pancreatic function, bile production, etc.
  • Detailed health history
  • Specific symptom characteristics (e.g., type and location of bloating)
  • Potential underlying conditions (e.g., H-pylori, carbohydrate digestion issues)
  • Individual susceptibility to specific probiotics
  • Nature of symptoms (e.g., headache type – pressure, cluster, or migraine)
  • Possible histamine issues
  • Colon acidity levels
  • SCFA production and acidification needs

A knowledgeable medical professional can help tailor recommendations to your specific health needs and conditions.

Two Supplements of Note for Autism

I am doing a normalization and update of data on Microbiome Prescription. There are many items to review and items that have been reviewed have { } in their name. The pattern is:

  • Scientific Name
  • {Common Name}
  • Other Information

and not reviewed (YET)

So far in this review, I have come across two substances (more likely to come) where there has been many or interesting studies for Autism

Sulforaphane

This is found in broccoli sprouts,cauliflower, kale, cole crops, cabbage, collards, mustard, and cress

Zinc

and more studies

Glyphosate

Studies from US National Library of Medicine

Furthermore, it has been reported that most infant formulas are contaminated with glyphosate. One study reported levels between 0.03 mg kg−1 and 1.08 mg kg−1. This could potentially further exacerbate the problem of Bifidobacterium reduction in the infant gut.” This may be a factor for increasing Autism and ADHD rates.

Impact of glyphosate (RoundupTM) on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome

Help Needed to Improve Suggestions for Autism.

I am working with a startup PrecisionBiome.eu and create a demo report exploring one of the features they want to consider on their pending offering. The draft feature used brain trauma as a test case. This caused me to think of Autism.

The draft report is designed to be a document to be used by Medical Doctors and to educate them on the latest studies.

All data contributed will be freely available for personal use on Microbiome Prescription, in keeping with its open data policy.

Example Report

Example for a (real) person with Autism, OCD and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Bacteria Identification

The person’s sample is examined and compared to the literature

Validated Suggestions

There are suggestions that the literature reports that some people in studies improved taking.

Not Validated Suggestions

These are items that will improved the microbiome but do not have any studies for them being tested with brain trauma / Autism. Conceptually, some researchers should conduct trials with them.

How Can You Help

We need to get a comprehensive list of items that help autism. This means YOU DOING RESEARCH, FILL OUT A SPREADSHEET and then send to me Ken@lassesen

How to do it