New Department of Defence Study Uses Antibiotic For Autism

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A currently ongoing study seeks participants with the autistic spectrum and uses Seromycin, an antibiotic to this point used almost exclusively for tuberculosis.

The study being run by the University of Indiana and the Department of Defense.

What symptoms does it treat?

How strange the study would be run partially by the Department of Defense...

they must be worried about our growing military capabilities

Is it a good idea, using an antibiotic for something besides treating a bacterial infection? You don't want more of those super bugs popping up.

The antibiotic doesn't cause the super-infection, but it can render certain bacteria more resistant to antibiotics when being treated. How do you know this wouldn't do the same thing? It's happened before, with other antibiotics. What if a super strain of TB develops because of this, people catch it, and it's even harder to treat than regular TB?

Ritalin makes me more social but I'm still not relating to people.

Maybe if I actually tried to work on my social skills...

If you used it to treat TB, it would be using it to treat a bacterial infection which is what it is for which is the point. When used correctly, it kills the bacteria so it doesn't have a chance to become resistant.
If you use it to treat autism, you are no longer using it to kill bacteria. You don't see any conflict there?

I believe it is each person's right to choose to do this if he or she wants to. But as for me, no thanks.

No antibiotic has ever been invented which "kills" TB.

And there is no greater testimony to its resistance than that it most cases an active infection is treated, by a cocktail of at least 3 anti-tubercular drugs.

You are assuming that there is absolutely no relationship between this disease and autism? But it is my belief that results from the current DOD study might well point in exactly this direction.

There is historic precedent here. The first documentation of the entire autistic spectrum was clearly spelled out in a subset of John Langdon Down's children. It was Down who came up with the term "developmentally disabled." And what disease did Down feel, "for the most part" was responsible for his children's symptoms, including those with autism? TB.

Don't understand why, of all the anti-tubercular drugs available, they chose Seromycin. I guess it was because that was the agent used in the earlier autistic animal studies in Virginia. Seromycin itself causes mind-bending changes and isn't the best choice. But that is the antibiotic where the focus is now on. Perhaps they will get it right in future studies.