📄 AIDA White Paper

Is Autism the Next Infectious Disease Discovery?
Explore the groundbreaking research connecting infectious diseases like Bartonellosis to autism spectrum disorders.

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Draft · IACC Draft Strategic Plan 2026–2028

A New Federal Framework for Autism

The IACC Draft Strategic Plan 2026–2028 reflects a remarkable shift toward many of the medical and scientific questions explored in A Blind Spot on Autism — regression as a national priority, medical investigation of sudden deterioration, maternal health, and research moving beyond genetics.

Working draft — public review and discussion postponed, date TBA, expected September 2026.

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Parent Resources

Practical guides for recognizing and documenting medical symptoms in autistic children, and for discussing them with your child’s healthcare provider.

Parent Medical Guide

A fill-in guide to help you recognize and document medical symptoms, look beyond behavior, review family history and exposures, and prepare for an informed conversation with your child’s doctor.

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Clinical Guide No. 001 — Medical Evaluation Guide for Children with Autism

A guide for healthcare professionals on recognizing multisystem illness in autistic children, covering history, physical examination, diagnostic screening, and referral considerations.

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Research Library

Here is research that shows the many different consequences of 3B infections: Bartonellosis, Babesiosis, and Borreliosis (Lyme disease). These studies demonstrate the wide-ranging impact these stealth pathogens can have on neurological, immune, and behavioral health.

Alzheimer's Disease

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Infection and Autoimmune Hypotheses

Chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions are associated with increased risk of dementia: a meta-analysis of inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis

Frontiers in Immunology, 2023

Alzheimer's disease as an innate autoimmune disease (AD²): A new molecular paradigm

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2023

Borrelia burgdorferi Co-Localizing with Amyloid Markers in Alzheimer's Disease Brain Tissues

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2022

A Novel Approach to the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease Based on the Pathology and Microbiology

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2021

Alzheimer's disease—a neurospirochetosis

Neuroreport, 2011

Chronic inflammation and amyloidogenesis in Alzheimer's disease--role of Spirochetes

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2008

Discovery of Borrelia burgdorferi in Alzheimer's brain tissue using advanced microscopy techniques

MacDonald, A. B., 2006

Epidemiology & Statistics

2024 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2024

National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: 2024 Update

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024

Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Comorbidities (Anxiety, Sleep, OCD, GI, Motor/Sensory)

Prevalence and Correlates of the Concurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023

Sleep Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2023

High rate of comorbid POTS and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and autonomic dysfunction

American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2022

Long-Term Health Ailments

Autoimmune

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023

Cancer

Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2023

Bartonella, Lyme Disease & Autism Connection

Substantial improvement of autism spectrum disorder in a child with learning disabilities in conjunction with treatment for poly-microbial vector-borne infections

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023

The association between tick-borne infections, Lyme borreliosis and autism spectrum disorders

Medical Hypotheses, 2008

Autism and Lyme disease

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 2007

Immune Dysfunction & Maternal Immune Activation

Prenatal maternal immune activation and risk of autism spectrum disorder in offspring: A population-based cohort study

Pediatric Research, 2024

Persistent Inflammation Initiated by TORCH Infections and Dysbiotic Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Prospect for Future Interventions

Research Ideas and Outcomes, 2022

Prenatal maternal infections and neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring: A study of Danish national registries

Autism Research, 2022

Association of maternal autoimmune disease and early childhood infections with offspring autism spectrum disorder: a population-based cohort study

Autism Research, 2022

Family Risk, Genetics & Environment

Recurrence risk for younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: A baby siblings research consortium study

Pediatrics, 2024

Association of genetic and environmental factors with autism in a 5-country cohort

JAMA Psychiatry, 2019

Risk of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders among siblings of probands with autism spectrum disorders

JAMA Psychiatry, 2016

Recurrence risk for autism spectrum disorders: a Baby Siblings Research Consortium study

Pediatrics, 2011

Sex & Gender Diversity

Sexual minority identities in autistic adults: Diversity and associations with mental health symptoms and subjective quality of life

Autism in Adulthood, 2023

LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.6%

Gallup, 2023

Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diagnoses, and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals

Nature Communications, 2020

Other Examples of Post-Vaccine Immune Complications, Long COVID-Bartonella Link

Immune markers of post-vaccination syndrome indicate future research directions

Yale News, 2025

Herpesviruses reactivation following COVID-19 vaccination

European Journal of Medical Research, 2023

Epidemiology & Prevalence

Joint hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025

RFK Jr. calls autism an epidemic: 'It dwarfs COVID'

The Hill, 2025

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Data and Statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023

Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020

MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 2023

A deep learning method for real-time autism detection based on facial features

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023

Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update

Autism Research, 2022

Health Economics

Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories (RCDC): Autism Spectrum Disorder

NIH RePORT

Brief Report: Forecasting the Economic Burden of Autism in 2025 and 2030

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2015

Costs of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the United Kingdom and the United States

JAMA Pediatrics, 2014

Autoimmune Disease

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Increased Autism Risk in Families with Autoimmune Disease

Risk of autoimmune disease in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A population-based birth cohort study

Pediatric Research, 2024

Parental autoimmune diseases and risk of autism spectrum disorders in offspring: a population-based cohort study

Translational Psychiatry, 2023

Maternal autoimmune disease and risk of offspring autism spectrum disorder - a nationwide population-based cohort study

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023

Maternal autoimmune disease and risk of offspring autism spectrum disorders

Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023

Family history of autoimmune diseases in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2021

Bartonella Found in Autoimmune Diseases

A case of bartonellosis mimicking systemic lupus erythematosus

Clinical Rheumatology, 2022

Bartonella henselae infection associated with autoimmune thyroiditis in a child

Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 2013

Cat scratch disease in systemic lupus erythematosus

Journal of Rheumatology, 2001

Bartonella infection associated with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2001

Comorbid Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Associated with Autoimmune Disease (Same as Bartonella Neuropsychiatric Symptoms)

Depression, anxiety and cognitive function in persons with inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a population-based study

Rheumatology (Oxford), 2024

Association of depression and anxiety disorders with autoimmune thyroiditis: A meta-analysis

JAMA Psychiatry, 2024

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of thyroid diseases

CNS Spectrums, 2024

Burden of neuropsychiatric manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review

American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2023

The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases: an urgent call to action for improved understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

Current Opinion in Immunology, 2023

Association of maternal autoimmune diseases with risk of mental disorders

JAMA Network Open, 2022

Autoantibodies in neurological disease

Nature Reviews Immunology, 2021

Autoimmune psychosis: an international consensus on an approach to the diagnosis and management of psychosis of suspected autoimmune origin

The Lancet Psychiatry, 2020

Neuropsychological impairments in chronic fatigue syndrome: a two-study investigation

Neuropsychology, 2013

Neuropsychological impairments in chronic fatigue syndrome: Case-control comparison

Neuropsychology, 1994

General Autoimmune Epidemiology

Autoimmune Diseases

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 2023

Enhancing NIH Research on Autoimmune Disease

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022

Updated assessment of the prevalence, spectrum and case definition of autoimmune disease

Autoimmunity Reviews, 2012

Cancer & Malignancy

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Bartonella-Related Oncology

Bartonellas: could they cause reproductive disorders in humans?

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 2025

Neurobartonelloses: Emerging from obscurity! (Includes discussion of vascular tumors and oncogenic mechanisms)

Parasites & Vectors, 2024

Cat scratch disease as a mimicker of malignancy

Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2021

An unusual case of cat-scratch disease from Bartonella quintana mimicking inflammatory breast cancer in a 50-year-old woman

The Breast Journal, 2003

Viral Oncology

The causal relation between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer

Journal of Clinical Pathology, 2002

Diagnostics

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Best Practices for Bartonella and Lyme Detection

Presence of Bartonella DNA in the blood of neuropsychiatric patients compared to healthy controls

medRxiv, 2021

Development of a metabolic biosignature for detection of early Lyme disease

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2015

PCR amplification of Bartonella koehlerae from human blood and enrichment blood cultures

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2010

Bartonella sp. bacteremia in patients with neurological and neurocognitive dysfunction

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2008

Focus floating microscopy: 'gold standard' for cutaneous detection of Borrelia burgdorferi

American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 2007

Failures in Testing

Lyme disease testing by large commercial laboratories in the United States

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2014

Diagnostic challenges of early Lyme disease: Lessons from a community case series

BMC Infectious Diseases, 2009

Research Initiatives, New Lyme Testing & Funding

Workshop: Advances in Diagnostics for Long COVID, Lyme, ME/CFS

National Academies & NIH, 2023

LymeX Diagnostics Prize

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023

Scientific Research & Insights

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, 2023

Understanding Co-infections

Global Lyme Alliance, 2023

NIH RePORTER (Search: Bartonella, Babesia, Borrelia)

National Institutes of Health

Infectious Agents: Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia (Lyme DIsease)

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Bartonella

Bartonellas: could they cause reproductive disorders in humans?

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 2025

Bartonella henselae, Babesia odocoilei, and Babesia divergens-like MO-1 infection in the brain of a child with seizures

Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease, 2025

Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. DNA in dogs with hemangiosarcoma

PLoS One, 2025

Neurobartonelloses: Emerging from obscurity!

Parasites & Vectors, 2024

Post-COVID reactivation of latent Bartonella henselae infection: a case report and literature review

BMC Infectious Diseases, 2024

Neurobartonellosis: Emerging neurological disease findings

Parasites & Vectors, 2024

A case of generalized cat scratch disease in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease, 2024

Treatment-resistant depression, cognitive dysfunction, and Bartonella co-infection: a case series

Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2022

Bartonellosis: one health perspectives for an emerging infectious disease

ILAR Journal, 2017

Babesia

Chronic Babesiosis due to Babesia odocoilei: A New Human Malaria-Like Infection

ILADS Annual Scientific Conference, 2022

Encephalitis Caused by Chronic Bartonellosis and Babesiosis

Dr. Henry Lindner, ILADS 2022

Broad antimicrobial resistance in a case of relapsing babesiosis

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2022

Detection of Babesia odocoilei in Humans with babesiosis Symptoms

Diagnostics, 2021

Chronic Babesiosis Caused by Babesia odocoilei: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Henry Lindner, ILADS 2021

Endocrine Aspects of Chronic Infections

Dr. Henry Lindner, ILADS 2021

Transfusion-transmitted babesiosis: a systematic review

Asian Journal of Transfusion Science, 2021

Babesia microti in Ixodes scapularis Ticks, Suffolk County, New York, USA

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2020

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia in babesiosis

Transfusion, 2017

Vertical transmission of Babesia microti, United States

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2012

Borrelia (Lyme Disease)

Borrelia burgdorferi antimicrobial-tolerant persistence research

mBio, 2021

A review of Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome and Chronic Lyme disease

Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2021

The Long-Term Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi Antigens and DNA in a Lyme Disease Patient after Treatment

Frontiers in Microbiology, 2019

Neuropsychiatric Lyme Borreliosis: An Overview with a Focus on a Specialty Psychiatrist's Clinical Practice

Healthcare, 2018

Lyme borreliosis

Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 2016

County-Scale Distribution of Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Continental United States

Journal of Medical Entomology, 2016

Infection Misdiagnosed as Autoimmune Disease

Clinical Manifestations, Treatment, and Diagnosis of Tropheryma whipplei Infections

Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2017

Vector Ecology & Surveillance

Babesiosis surveillance and statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023

Trends in Reported babesiosis Cases — United States, 2011–2019

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 2023

Neurological complications of babesiosis, United States, 2011–2021

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2023

Lyme disease data and surveillance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021

MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

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Research and Clinical Understanding

A puzzling mast cell trilogy: Anaphylaxis, MCAS, and mastocytosis

Diagnostics, 2023

Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: A global "consensus-2"

Journal of Hematology & Oncology, 2020

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: An Alert to Psychiatrists

Psychology Today, 2019

Interaction of primary mast cells with Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto): Role in transmission and dissemination in C57BL/6 mice

Parasites & Vectors, 2017

Often seen, rarely recognized: mast cell activation disease—a guide to diagnosis and therapeutic options

Annals of Medicine, 2016

MCAS Resources & Education

Mast Cell Matters: Deep dives on MCAS with Tania Dempsey, MD

Podcast

Diagnosis & Treatment of MCAS with Dr. Tania Dempsey

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)

Dr. Tania Dempsey

Mold & Environmental Toxins

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Immune and Neurological Effects of Mold

Chronic inflammatory response syndrome: a review of the evidence of clinical efficacy of treatment

Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 2024

HLA-DR allele variations in cases of prolonged mycotoxin exposure

Mycotoxin Research, 2024

Mycotoxin exposure and autism: A systematic review of mechanisms

Science of the Total Environment, 2020

Effects of mycotoxins on neuropsychiatric symptoms and immune mechanisms

Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2018

Reversal of refractory ulcerative colitis and chronic fatigue combined with CIRS in a genetically susceptible individual

BMJ Case Reports, 2018

Sick building syndrome (SBS) and exposure to water-damaged buildings: Time series study, clinical trial and mechanisms

Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2006

Public Health and Government Guidance

Lead Awareness Curriculum: Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2024

Protect your family from exposures to lead

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2023

Podcasts and Media

Mold's Role in Chronic Illness and the Treatment Order: Mold, MCAS, and Infections

Mast Cell Matters Podcast, 2024

Mold Illness: How mold exposure triggers immune and nervous system dysregulation

Mast Cell Matters Podcast

PANS/PANDAS

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Infectious Triggers of PANS

A Neuropsychiatric Assessment of Children with Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023

SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 associated pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome a case report of female twin adolescents

Psychiatry Research Case Reports, 2022

The Association of Autoimmune Disease in Families of Children with PANDAS/PANS

PANDAS Network, 2022

Does Lyme Disease Cause PANS?

Psychology Today, 2021

Microbial Induced Autoimmune Inflammation as a Cause of Mental Illness in Adolescents

Global Journal of Medical Research, 2021

Five youth with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome of differing etiologies

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2015

Autoimmune Conditions and Risk Factors

Development of Autoimmune Diseases Among Children With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome

JAMA Network Open, 2024

The Association of Autoimmune Disease in Families of Children with PANDAS/PANS

PANDAS Network, 2022

Prevalence and Epidemiology

Latest prevalence estimates: Up to 1 in 200 children affected by PANS/PANDAS

PANDAS Network, 2023

PANDAS/PANS: Parent Survey Results

PANDAS Network

Clinical Resources & Guidelines

PANS/PANDAS Advisory Council Meeting Materials — May 2023

Massachusetts General Court, 2023

PANS/PANDAS Research Funding Summary

PANDAS Physicians Network

Infertility, Miscarriage, and Reproductive Health

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Bartonella and Reproductive Disorders

Bartonellas: could they cause reproductive disorders in humans?

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 2025

Congenital Transmission

Borrelia burgdorferi in a newborn despite oral penicillin for Lyme borreliosis during pregnancy

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 1988

Maternal–fetal transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi

New England Journal of Medicine, 1985

Other Infections That Lead to Fetal Mortality or Complications and Pregnancy Screenings

Toxoplasmosis

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025

Congenital syphilis in the United States: An urgent public health problem

CDC Vital Signs, 2023

HIV and Pregnant Women, Children, and Infants

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

TORCH infections

Clinics in Perinatology, 2015

Complete genome sequence of Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete

Science, 1998

Toxins Lead to Sexual Diversity in Insects

Altered Pairing Behavior and Reproductive Success in White Ibises Exposed to Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Methylmercury

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2011

Long COVID

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Long COVID Symptoms (Overlap with Bartonellosis)

Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025

A causal link between autoantibodies and neurological symptoms in long COVID

medRxiv, 2024

Long-term immunologic effects of COVID-19 and symptom persistence: elevated humoral responses and viral reactivation in Long COVID

Nature, 2023

Will COVID-19 Lead to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Frontiers in Medicine, 2021

Rashes

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Visual Guide

Bartonella Tracks vs. Stretch Marks

Identifying Bartonella-related skin manifestations

Transmission

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Congenital Transmission

Borrelia burgdorferi in a newborn despite oral penicillin for Lyme borreliosis during pregnancy

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 1988

Maternal–fetal transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi

New England Journal of Medicine, 1985

Vector Transmission

Prevalence of Bartonella species DNA in blood and ectoparasites of shelter cats in the United States

Veterinary Microbiology, 2022

Tick-borne relapsing fever in North America

Medical Clinics of North America, 2002

Transfusion and Organ Transplant

Vertical transmission of Babesia microti, United States

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2012

Babesia duncani transfusion-transmitted infection in a sickle cell patient

Transfusion, 2011

Animal Models of Transmission or Reproductive Impact

Bartonellas: could they cause reproductive disorders in humans?

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 2025

A novel Babesia sp. associated with clinical signs of babesiosis in domestic cats in South Africa

Parasites & Vectors, 2019

Interaction of primary mast cells with Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto): Role in transmission and dissemination in C57BL/6 mice

Parasites & Vectors, 2017

Treatment & Recovery

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PANS/PANDAS Treatment Protocols

Clinical evaluation of youth with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS): recommendations from the 2013 PANS Consensus Conference

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2015

The Misnomer of Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD) and the Truth About Chronic Infections

Update on Swiss guidelines for PTLDS

Swiss Medical Weekly, 2016

Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome: Need for Diagnosis and Improved Care

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2006

Additional Reference Materials & Databases

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Global Health Data

Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) Results

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)

Child Protection & Safety

Protecting Your Child from the Child Protection System: What You Need to Know to Preserve Your Family and Prevent Trauma

Maloney, B., Tarentella Publishing, 2020