Characterization of Yeast Isolated from the Gut Microbiota of Tunisian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Research on the microbiota-gut-brain axis in autism has primarily focused on bacteria, with limited attention to fungi. There is a growing interest in understanding the involvement of fungi, particularly , in patients with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, antifungal susceptibility profiles and virulence factors of isolates from the guts of Tunisian children with autism. Twenty-eight children with autism and forty-six controls were enrolled. isolates from the faecal samples were identified using biochemical and molecular methods; antifungal susceptibility testing was determined by the EUCAST broth microdilution method and virulence factors, including biofilm formation, cell surface hydrophobicity and phospholipase and proteinase activities, were assessed in vitro. As a result, was detected in 13 children with autism (46.4%) and 14 control children (30.4%). was found to be the most common species isolate in the faeces of both groups of children. Antifungal susceptibility profiles showed that one isolate was resistant to amphotericin B and anidulafungin (3.7%), six were resistant to micafungin (22.2%) and five were resistant to fluconazole (18.5%). All isolates were biofilm producers. Of the twenty-seven isolates, only four showed phospholipase activity (14.8%), eight showed aspartyl-proteinase activity (29.6%) and nine were hydrophobic (33.3%). These results highlight the presence of in the guts of children with autism, as well as the ability to express multiple virulence factors and the antifungal resistance, and they emphasize the need for further studies to confirm intestinal colonization and its potential role in autism.