"Emerging Role of Infection in Alzheimer's Disease" -- and a Lyme/Alzheimer's link?

[JackieCalifornia]

Some interesting comments have been posted here recently about the possible links between Lyme infection and later development of Alzheimer's Disease.  A little searching online brings up interesting stuff on that topic, such as the following review and commentary at ScienceDaily [dot] com, posted in 2008:


"In a special issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease published May 2008, guest editors Judith Miklossy, from The University of British Columbia, and Ralph N. Martins, from Edith Cowan University and Hollywood Private Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, and a group of experts explore this exciting topic.

"Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most frequent cause of dementia, is a form of amyloidosis. It has been known for a century that dementia, brain atrophy and amyloidosis can be caused by chronic bacterial infections, namely by Treponema pallidum in the atrophic form of general paresis in syphilis. Bacteria and viruses are powerful stimulators of inflammation. It was suggested by Alois Alzheimer and his colleagues a century ago that microorganisms may be contributors in the generation of senile plaques in AD.

"The fact that pathogens may suppress, subvert or evade host defenses and establish chronic or latent infection has received little attention in the past. During infection, active oxygen and nitrogen species generated by inflammatory cells may cause DNA damage, induce apoptosis, and modulate enzyme activities and gene expression. Depending upon the biology of the pathogen and the host defense mechanisms the organism can persist in the infected tissues and cause chronic inflammation and amyloid deposition. The outcome of infection is as much determined by the genetic predisposition of the patient as by the virulence and biology of the infecting agent. Environmental factors and nutrition are critical determinants of disease expression as well.

"In this special issue a series of reviews draws attention to both historic and recent observations related to this emerging field of AD research. The first review shows the importance of chronic inflammation in AD, followed by three articles presenting evidence on the involvement of spirochetes, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Herpes simplex virus type 1 in AD. These are followed by a review of amyloid proteins, which occur in many cellular forms in Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes.

"The link between several viral and bacterial infections and the most significant genetic factor for AD, APOE å4, is discussed in the next review. The link between excessive or misplaced iron and a variety of neurodegenerative diseases and infection is reviewed in the final article.

"According to Miklossy and Martins, 'The historic and new observations reviewed in this special issue clearly show that high priority should be given for further research in this field as it may have major implications for public health, treatment, and prevention as adequate anti-bacterial and anti-viral drugs are available. Treatment of a bacterial infection and associated viral infection may result in regression and, if started early, prevention of disease. The impact on reducing healthcare costs would be substantial.' "

[nutrinut_bob]

Thanks Jackie, I'll follow up on that article, I'm originally from SE Ohio. There were a lot of European immigrants in the little coal town. I feel I've been packing this stuff since I was kid, just didn't know it because there was little immune response. My western blot was for borrielia burgdorferi.  I had thought of genetics playing a role too, my father has AB negative blood, less than 3% of the world population.

[JackieCalifornia]

And PS, are they testing you on W Blot for the B.afzelii strain of Lyme -- less common here than in Europe, I think, but bugz don't need passports.  That strain seems to get a lot of mention in the articles quoted as being associated more strongly with ACA.

Also, I don't recall what part of the US you are in, but from that same website is an article -- now ~15 years old --  by a bunch of docs at the VA in Maywood IL.  Contacting them to ask for suggestions on who they might know in your area may lead you to a helpful doc, if you're not totally comfy with your current one.  Here's the header from that article as posted, fwiw:

J Invest Dermatol. 1998 Mar;110(3):211-4.

Identification of three species of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii) among isolates from acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans lesions.

Picken RN, Strle F, Picken MM, Ruzic-Sabljic E, Maraspin V, Lotric-Furlan S, Cimperman J.
Research Service, Hines Veterans' Administration Hospital, Maywood, Illinois, USA.

[JackieCalifornia]

I suspect genetic variability among us humans has a factor to play in how different populations react to the different infections.  In genetically homogeneous populations, the immune responses are perhaps easier to see across a group; in the US, we are all such a mix of so many genetic strains that it must confuse not only the docs and the patients, but also the bugz.  Time will tell, once science/medicine gets its act together.

[nutrinut_bob]

These past 20 years I have watched my father decline, and I know that am now at the age where it first hit him.  I also know that some of the things I take that help me would help him.  But how do you get anyone to listen?  I've sent mom herbals, but she's afraid to take him off the doctor prescribed stuff that is only making him worse.  A 72 year old man in the amazon jungle can still climb a tree that doesn't have any branches for the first 30 feet, but some 70 year old men here in the US are practically children again.  We're not doing something right!

Interesting info Jackie.