The most important thing to know about mercury is that ANY amount is toxic in the human body. Mercury may be useful for industrial applications, but not for human health. Good gut bacteria can help protect us from mercury poisoning.
...Normal microflora also play an important role in protecting us from mercury poisoning. These friendly bacteria are able to convert organic mercury (such as methylmercury) which is rapidly absorbed into the body, into inorganic mercury which is poorly absorbed and largely excreted....
...In contrast, most strains of yeast (candida and Escherichia coli (E. coli) carry out the reverse reaction, namely, converting inorganic mercury to organic mercury...
[Stop Autism Now! A Parent's Guide to Preventing and Reversing Autism Spectrum Disorders, by Dr. Bruce Fife, pg. 83, * Research Reference 98 below.]
...Frequent antibiotic use would result in a loss of normal gut flora and an increase in yeast and E. coli populations. This would reduce and could even completely inhibit the excretion of mercury, allowing it to be absorbed into the body and brain. This may be one of the reasons why autistic children often have higher mercury levels than other children.
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[Stop Autism Now! A Parent's Guide to Preventing and Reversing Autism Spectrum Disorders, by Dr. Bruce Fife, pg. 83, * Research Reference 66 below.]
Reference 98: Sandler, R.H., et al. Short-term benefit from oral vancomycin treatment of regressive-onset autism. J Child Neurol 2000:15: 429-435.
Reference 66: Adams, J.B., et al. Mercury, lead, and zinc in baby teeth of children with autism versus controls. Journal of Toxicology and environmental Health, Part A 2007;70(12):1046-1051.