Argument+Two

ARGUMENT TWO: **Autism May Be Caused by An Immune Response To A Virus** Headline from __Science Daily__ November 3, 1998 A study in 1998 (abstract in ScienceDirect) by V.K.Singh, X. Lin, and V. Yang, was first to report “an association between virus serology and brain autoantibody in autism.” Singh believed his research showed a measles virus in a young child might be “etiologically linked to autoimmunity in autism.” [|http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WCK-45K0Y05-D&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1068148200&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=5f0ed9e9ad89a90d623d4591836057e3] Singh is not talking about mercury, he is looking at a possible link between autoimmunity and autism At a hearing before Congress, Singh said: “Autoimmune Autism … refer[s] to a subset of autism that has autoimmune etiology. … there are scientific reasons to think that this subset may indeed be a result of vaccine injuries to children who display autistic regression.” [] Singh is not referencing all autism but a subset. In 2002. In Autism Reseach Review International, A. Morris and D. Aldulaimi, suggest that “children’s pre-existing developmental disorders or bowel problems may make them unable to clear the measles virus from their systems… and … neurological problems often are accompanied by gut abnormalities.” The editor of ARRI commented: “This explanation fails to explain why a large number of children with autism and gut disorders show no evidence of either disorder until they receive the MMR vaccine.” [] Morris and Aldulaimi are suggesting a pre-existing condition makes measles virus link to autism. Still in 2002, Singh comments in BioMed Science (abstract) “stemming from this evidence, we suggest that an inappropriate antibody response to MMR, specifically the measles component…might be related to pathogenesis of autism.” [] Singh suggests "inappropriate" antibody responses may be the link. Also in 2002, Wakefield et al., reported that “75 of 91 children with development delays and bowel abnormalities had measles virus RNA … compared with only 5 of the 70 controls … The syndrome … is far more common in boys….” “We have found measles virus highly in excess of developmentally normal controls in the diseased [bowel] tissue of children with autism….” (para. 3) [] Wakefield's numbers are large 75 out of 91, but his research methods are being questioned. In April of 2003, Singh reported that “the level of measles antibody, but not mumps or rubella antibodies, was significantly higher in autistic children as compared with normal children (P = 0.003) or siblings of autistic children.” [] Singh finds the same high numbers as Wakefield and only to measles not to other viruses in the vaccines. In 2004, Singh hoped to find that autistic children have “abnormal reactions to measles virus and/or MMR vaccine.” He believed that, in very young children, “viruses might serve as teratogens (agents that cause developmental malfunctions) etiologically linked to autism.” (p. 2 para. 1)and showed on a graph on p. 4 the MMR antibody level was “significantly … increased in autistic children and p. 5 “90% or more correlation was found between MMR and MBP antibodies in autistic children…but not in controls that included normal children, normal siblings and other diseased children.” [] Singh first suggests "teratogens" as the possible link, but still measles to autism. Summer 2004, in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, 9(2), Bradstreet, J.J. et al., reported that their findings were “consistent with … active viral replication in these [autistic] children [and] further indicate the possibility of a virally driven cerebral immunopathology in some cases of regressive autism.” (p. 38 para. 4) [] Possibility of virally driven cerebral immunopathology but in regressive autism, again, a subset. In 2008, the CDC declared that the MMR vaccine had no connection to autism, but the National Autism Association refuted their findings saying the following were errors in the CDC’s study: “In the current CDC study, only a small subgroup of children was the correct phenotype to study. From page 7, “Only 5 of 25 subjects (20%) had received MMR before the onset of GI complaints and had also had onset of GI episodes before the onset of AUT (P=0.03).” The other 20 autistic children in the study had GI problems but the pathology developed before the MMR vaccine. Additionally, the controls all received the MMR vaccine and had gastrointestinal symptoms. The controls should have been free of exposure to vaccine measles in order to make a comparison relevant for purposes of causation. “Inflammatory bowel disease in the absence of MMR RNA does not mean that MMR shot didn't precipitate the GI disease and didn't precipitate autism. A similar example would be rheumatic fever where the infection is cleared quickly but damage to the heart and/or brain last a lifetime. “[] Errors in CDC study? If it were redone would it confirm the virus autism link? Draft: Last updated – January 30, 2009 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Immunization Safety and Autism Thimerosal and Autism Research Agenda says “results [cdc] are inconsistent with a causal role for MMR vaccine as a trigger … of either GI difficulties or autism. [] Results are inconsistent but __not__ saying results confirm that there is __no__ causal link. But Singh argues: “there are scientific reasons to think that this subset [autoimmune autism] may indeed be a result of vaccine injuries to children who display autistic regression.” [] Hopefully, the work goes on….. Just recently,in August of 2009, Association of Family History of Autoimmune Diseases and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Hjördís Ó. Atladóttir et al in Denmark, reported on their study of families with a history of autoimmune disorders and autism. “Associations regarding family history of type 1 diabetes and infantile autism and maternal history of rheumatoid arthritis and ASDs were confirmed from previous studies. A significant association between maternal history of celiac disease and ASDs was observed for the first time. The observed associations between familial autoimmunity and ASDs/infantile autism are probably attributable to a combination of a common genetic background and a possible prenatal antibody exposure or alteration in fetal environment during pregnancy.” [] The Danes have found an even earlier autoimmune possibility that would link not measles but other autoimmune diseases to infantile autism.