New Case Report from Sidney Baker, M.D. and William Shaw, Ph.D.
Asperigillus niger is a common mold/fungi species that is often found in stool samples. This fungus can occasionally lead to a systemic infection in the gastrointestinal tract. After a four-year-old patient with autism showed evidence of Aspergillus overgrowth in his gut, his treating physician, Dr. Sidney Baker prescribed a course of the antifungal probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii to stop further colonization. Previously, Saccharomyces boulardii has been associated with a reduction of challenging behaviors in children with autism. When the four-year-old took the antifungal probiotic, he experienced a dramatic die off that caused troubling behaviors. Dr. Baker viewed the young boy’s symptoms of die off as a good sign and theorized that the mold colonization may be a factor in his autistic behaviors. At that point, Dr. Baker decided to fight the Asperigillus overgrowth with a stronger tool, the drug Sporanox. After taking the drug for eight months, which at first included increasing doses of Sporanox and then tapering down those doses, the four-year-old lost his symptoms of autism and was considered recovered.
