Scientists identify a virus and two bacteria that could be causing Alzheimer's - ScienceAlert

Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap

Scientists identify a virus and two bacteria that could be causing Alzheimer's - ScienceAlert

'... This isn't the first time scientists have suspected that viruses or bacteria could play a role in causing Alzheimer's - previous studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's tend to be more likely to be infected with certain microbes, including types of fungus, than the rest of the population.

But attempts to nail down those links have failed, so right now, the leading hypothesis is that Alzheimer's is caused by the build-up of sticky amyloid plaques and mis-folded tau proteins in the brain, which break down communication between neurons and lead to memory loss, cognitive decline, and eventually death.

Now the editorial claims it's time to consider the idea that certain viruses or bacteria are triggering this plaque build-up in the first place, and investigate whether antimicrobial drugs could help stop it. They say that the first microbes we should investigate are the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), the chlamydia bacteria, and a type of spiral-shaped bacteria called spirochaetes.
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http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-identify-a-virus-and-two-types-of-bacteria-that-could-be-linked-to-alzheimer-s
http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-identify-a-virus-and-two-types-of-bacteria-that-could-be-linked-to-alzheimer-s