Gut flora could help diagnose autism: Study

• Diagnosing autism can be tricky, as it tends to rely on questionnaires.

• A new study found that children with autism were able to be identified through "markers" in their gut microbiome.

• “If we can get to something we can measure — whatever it is — that’s a huge improvement,” Sarkis Mazmanian, microbiome researcher at the California Institute of Technology, said.

(NewsNation) — Scientists could be closing in on a simpler way to diagnose autism.

A study published July 8 in Nature Microbiology identified gut microbiome could be a more objective mechanism of diagnosis.

Fecal samples from 1,627 children — autistic and non-autistic — aged 1 to 13 were analyzed. Those with autism were able to be identified through "markers" in their gut microbiome.

The study could prove beneficial in finding a more objective way to diagnose autism. Currently, it is customary for parents to be given questionnaires when they suspect their child could have autism, which could bring subjective results.

“Too much is left to questionnaires,” Sarkis Mazmanian, microbiome researcher at the California Institute of Technology, told The New York Times.

“If we can get to something we can measure — whatever it is — that’s a huge improvement,” Mazmanian said.