Objective To analyze the changes of intestinal flora in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on 16S rDNA high⁃throughput sequencing. Methods Fresh fecal samples were collected from 25 ASD children (the ASD group) and 22 healthy children (the control group), and then DNA of samples in both groups was extracted, as well as intestinal flora changes of research subjects from the two groups were evaluated by 16S rDNA high⁃throughput sequencing and bioinfomatic analysis. Results At the phylum level, the dominant phyla of the two groups were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Desulfobacteriota. At the genus level, the dominant genera of the ASD group were Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Shigella⁃Escherichia, Prevotella, Streptococcus, Klebsiella trevisan, Parabacteroides, Enterobacter, Dialister, and Phascolarctobacterium. There was no significant difference in alpha and beta diversities of intestinal flora between research subjects of the two groups. Verrucomicrobiota, Verrucomicrobiae, Verrucomicrobiales, Akkermansiaceae, and Akkermansia were significantly enriched in the ASD group. The ASD group exhibited lower relative abundance of Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium longum as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with normal children, ASD children present as intestinal flora alteration, relative abundance increases in Verrucomicrobiota and Akkermansia, whereas as relative abundance decreases in Bifidobacterium infantis and Bifidobacterium longum. However, at present, there is no unified conclusion on the changes of intestinal flora in ASD children, and further research is needed.

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