Gut and Psychology Syndrome cites two research programs that found high Clostridia levels in autistic children and a separate group of treatment reports from William Shaw at Great Plains Laboratories. The research programs address the microbial pattern; Shaw’s reports describe what happened during and after anti-Clostridia medication.[1]
The University of Reading Research
Campbell-McBride says a microbiology team at the University of Reading, led by Professor Glenn Gibson, found very high levels of Clostridia in the gut of 150 autistic children.[1]
The book gives the group size and the finding but does not provide the full methods, species breakdown or individual laboratory results in this passage.
The Second Research Program
The supplied English edition describes a second program involving another 80 autistic children. The expanded German edition gives 60 for that second group. Both describe high Clostridia levels that were not present in non-autistic siblings.[1][2]
The two supplied editions therefore disagree about that group’s size. The paragraph does not name the second research institution, so its number should be attributed to the edition rather than presented as a verified count from an identified paper.
What the Two Research Programs Show in the GAPS Source
Together, the programs provide two reported groups with high Clostridia levels in autistic children and one comparison with non-autistic siblings. They support the book’s attention to Clostridia overgrowth without establishing that one bacterial family, by itself, causes autism.[1][2]
The Great Plains Laboratory Reports
Campbell-McBride separately cites William Shaw at Great Plains Laboratories. Shaw reported a number of cases in which metronidazole and vancomycin reduced autistic symptoms and improved digestion and the biochemical picture.[1]
These are described as cases or treatment reports in the book, not as a controlled antibiotic trial.
What Happened After Medication Stopped
In almost all of the reported cases, symptoms and biochemical abnormalities returned after the medication stopped. Campbell-McBride also says anti-Clostridia drugs are toxic and have serious side effects, so they cannot be prescribed over long periods to children or adults.[1]
The book adds that Clostridia form spores and cannot be eradicated completely. Its long-term goal is control through beneficial bacteria rather than repeated attempts at elimination.[1]
Campbell-McBride’s Autistic Enterocolitis Theory
Campbell-McBride says she believes the Clostridia family plays an important role in autistic enterocolitis. She immediately marks that as a question for future research, while presenting the Reading findings and Shaw reports as existing support for the idea.[1]
How the Newer Book Limits Stool Interpretation
Gut and Physiology Syndrome explains that stool is discarded microbial material and does not directly sample the living flora on the gut wall. Recent meals also change stool composition.[3]
That does not erase the older research reports. It clarifies what a stool result can establish: a pattern in discarded material, not a complete measurement of the intestinal-wall ecosystem or proof of toxin passage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Children Were in the Two Research Programs?
Both editions give 150 for the Reading program. The English edition gives 80 for the second program, while the expanded German edition gives 60. Those are the counts printed in the two sources.[1][2]
Were the Great Plains Reports Controlled Trials?
The book describes a number of cases reported by William Shaw. It does not call them controlled trials.[1][2]
Did Medication Produce Improvement?
The book reports reduced autistic symptoms and improvements in digestion and biochemical findings in cases treated with the named anti-Clostridia drugs, metronidazole and vancomycin. In almost all of those cases, symptoms and biochemical abnormalities returned after the drugs were stopped.[1]
Why Does GAPS Emphasize Beneficial Flora?
Clostridia form spores and cannot be eradicated completely. The book presents beneficial bacteria as the natural long-term method for keeping them controlled.[1][2]
Your Next Step
Use the gut-wall and neurotoxin explanation for the mechanism Campbell-McBride proposes, then read the relapse and beneficial-flora article for her long-term-control conclusion. The research and treatment observations above remain attributed to the sources that report them.
My 90-Day Family Food Diary gives you a place to keep food changes and observations together. It is part of the WFLI shop catalog.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Psychology Syndrome, supplied English edition (2004), “The Opportunistic Flora,” Clostridia discussion, PDF pages 46–48.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Psychology Syndrome, expanded second German edition (2015), Part One, “Die opportunistischen Krankheitserreger,” Clostridiaceae discussion.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), Gut Flora chapter, gut-wall flora, stool sampling, meal-dependent composition, and Clostridia.
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