The potential role of gut bacteria in autism was discussed by Prof. Emma Allen-Vercoe, Molecular and Cellular Biology, in an interview with Today’s Parent Dec. 6. Today, one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, compared to one in 150 in 2000, and Allen-Vercoe said the complex relationship we have with the gut ecosystem may even be at the root of this. She notes many of these children seem to have gut issues. She studies the human microbiome and anaerobic microbiology.