RE: alz and borrelia?

[Guest guest]

Beta-amyloid deposition and Alzheimer's type changes induced by Borrelia

spirochetes.

Miklossy J,

Kis A,

Radenovic A,

L,

Forro L,

s R,

Reiss K,

Darbinian N,

Darekar P,

Mihaly L,

Khalili K.

Kinsmen Laboratory of Neurological Research, University of British Columbia,

2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3. judmik@...

The pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) consist of beta-amyloid

plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in affected brain areas. The processes,

which drive this host reaction are unknown. To determine whether an analogous

host reaction to that occurring in AD could be induced by infectious agents, we

exposed mammalian glial and neuronal cells in vitro to Borrelia burgdorferi

spirochetes and to the inflammatory bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Morphological changes analogous to the amyloid deposits of AD brain were

observed following 2-8 weeks of exposure to the spirochetes. Increased levels

of beta-amyloid precursor protein (AbetaPP) and hyperphosphorylated tau were

also detected by Western blots of extracts of cultured cells that had been

treated with spirochetes or LPS. These observations indicate that, by exposure

to bacteria or to their toxic products, host responses similar in nature to

those observed in AD may be induced.

PMID: 15894409 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Alzheimers Dis. 2004

Dec;6(6):639-49; discussion 673-81. Related

Articles, Links

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here to read

Borrelia

burgdorferi persists in the brain in chronic lyme neuroborreliosis and may be

associated with Alzheimer disease.

Miklossy

J, Khalili K, Gern L, son RL, Darekar P, Bolle L, Hurlimann J, Paster BJ.

University Institute of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University Medical

School (CHUV), 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.

judmik@...

The cause, or causes, of the vast

majority of Alzheimer's disease cases are unknown. A number of contributing

factors have been postulated, including infection. It has long been known that

the spirochete Treponema pallidum, which is the infective agent for syphilis,

can in its late stages cause dementia, chronic inflammation, cortical atrophy

and amyloid deposition. Spirochetes of unidentified types and strains have

previously been observed in the blood, CSF and brain of 14 AD patients tested

and absent in 13 controls. In three of these AD cases spirochetes were grown in

a medium selective for Borrelia burgdorferi. In the present study, the

phylogenetic analysis of these spirochetes was made. Positive identification of

the agent as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was based on genetic and

molecular analyses. Borrelia antigens and genes were co-localized with

beta-amyloid deposits in these AD cases. The data indicate that Borrelia

burgdorferi may persist in the brain and be associated with amyloid plaques in

AD. They suggest that these spirochetes, perhaps in an analogous fashion to

Treponema pallidum, may contribute to dementia, cortical atrophy and amyloid

deposition. Further in vitro and in vivo studies may bring more insight into

the potential role of spirochetes in AD.

> Personally, I would love to see IgeneX testing for borrelia. I would

like to

> see this testing also done on brains from deceased Alzheimer's

patients.

> This would be just a start, but it might begin to see how much

borrelia is a

> factor.

Fallon has a new paper on borreliosis co-occuring with alz. Its just a

case report tho.