To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Evidence Suggest Bacterial Link To Alzheimer's URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/9FA16.htm Doctor's Guide August 10, 1998
DETROIT, MI -- Aug. 10, 1998 -- Study results from Wayne State University show that the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae may be linked to brain samples from late-onset Alzheimer's patients. Analyses showed that, in 17 of 19 patients, brain areas with typical Alzheimer's disease showed the presence of C. pneumoniae. The bacterium, however, was not present in unaffected brain regions of the same patients. This finding potentially could lead to new diagnostic and treatment regimens in the battle against Alzheimer's disease. "While our results have to be confirmed by others, the findings, along with our ability to culture the organism from infected brain tissues, may suggest that infection with C. pneumoniae is a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease," the researchers write. Alan Hudson, Ph.D., associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Wayne State School of Medicine, and colleagues from the MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences in Philadelphia and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore report their findings in this month's issue of the journal Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen that is significantly present in acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia, sinusitis and bronchitis and studies have associated it with more severe and chronic pulmonary conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although the organism is closely related to the bacteria known as Chlamydia trachomatis which causes a sexually transmitted disease, C. pneumoniae has not been implicated in sexual transmission. It should be noted that infection with C. pneumoniae does not necessarily result in development of any non-pulmonary disease. The researchers employed a multi-disciplinary approach to examine the possible connection between C. pneumoniae and Alzheimer's disease. That enabled the scientists to blind each other as to sample identity and characteristics in the studies. They were likewise able to independently confirm results through different experimental approaches. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.