Fungal Infection Found Throughout Brains of Alzheimer's Patients

[Cort]

Collectively, our findings provide compelling evidence for the existence of fungal infection in the CNS from AD patients, but not in control individuals.​

This is new. The evidence of fungal infection in the blood vessels in the brains of Alzheimer's patients was widespread in a small study of ten patients. The authors think this infection could explain alot. It was published in Nature

• http://www.nature.com/articles/srep15015

The possibility that AD is a fungal disease, or that fungal infection is a risk factor for the disease, opens new perspectives for effective therapy for these patients. The present findings demonstrate that fungi can be detected in brain tissue from different regions of the AD CNS. In all eleven patients (plus three additional CP samples) described in this study, as well as in four patients previously analysed, there is clear evidence for fungal cells inside neurons or extracellularly29. Therefore, 100% of the AD patients analysed thus far by our laboratory present fungal cells and fungal material in brain sections.

Proceeding on the assumption that fungi are the aetiological agent of AD, all of the symptoms observed in AD patients can be readily explained. For example, the slow progression of the disease fits well with the chronic nature of fungal infections if they remain untreated. Moreover, inflammation and activation of the immune system may be due to an infectious fungal agent. Disseminated fungal infections can induce cytokine production53,54,55, which can take place years before the onset of cognitive decline as observed in AD. Thus, this disseminated infection may slowly spread to the CNS and synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss takes place only when the fungal burden in some areas of the CNS is high.

 

[JennyJenny]

I'm going with last weeks herpes virus theory.

 

[Merry]

. . . antifungal treatment in two patients diagnosed with AD reversed clinical symptoms51,52. The interpretation of these results was that perhaps these patients were misdiagnosed. Interestingly, Aβ peptide has potent antimicrobial activity, particularly against C. albicans27. Accordingly, it might be possible that the presence of a chronic fungal infection in AD CNS triggers the synthesis of Aβ peptide, which in turn leads to amyloid deposits. These reports together with our present findings support the notion that fungal infection may exist in AD.

 

[Merry]

The existence of fungal infection in AD patients may be due to its involvement in the aetiology of this disease, but it could also be possible that, for reasons yet unknown, these patients are more prone to this type of infection. The fact that they are elderly and may have a poor adaptive immune response, or possibly changes in the diet and hygiene habits, may contribute to the emergence of fungal infections. It is evident that clinical trials will be necessary to establish a causal effect of fungal infection in AD. There are at present a number of highly effective antifungal compounds with little toxicity58,59,60,61. A combined effort from the pharmaceutical industry and clinicians is needed to design clinical trials to test the possibility that AD is caused by fungal infection.

Well, this is research is certainly worth following up on, especially since anti-fungal drugs already exist.

 

[Cort]

I'm going with last weeks herpes virus theory.

That just made me crack up! I needed that!

Thanks

 

[Cort]

Well, this is research is certainly worth following up on, especially since anti-fungal drugs already exist.

Hey I forgot to mention that in a Simmaron talk Lipkin stated that some of his data suggests that some people with ME/CFS have fungal infections (!).

I didn't know that antifungal drugs existed - that's good to here, I mean hear.

 

[Merry]

Hey I forgot to mention that in a Simmaron talk Lipkin stated that some of his data suggests that some people with ME/CFS have fungal infections (!).

I didn't know that antifungal drugs existed - that's good to here, I mean hear.

The doctor who diagnosed me with ME/CFS in 1990 became interested in CFS because in the course of treating patients for Candida (a specialty of his), he saw patients that were more ill than the average patient and who didn't recover with the usual course of treatment. I guess he did some reading that took him to the subject of CFS, and he sought out a CFS specialist in his state to learn more.

The anti-fungal ("yeast-free") diet he gave me did help, and just suggesting a change in diet made me pay attention to what I was eating, and I have been careful of diet since then, adjusting it as my body changed through the decades. This doctor also prescribed a long course of the anti-fungal drug Nystatin. That helped, too. When I decided I just couldn't make that two hour drive anymore to see that doctor (he wanted me to come to the office once a month!), the doctor I saw next, a general practitioner close to home, was unwilling to continue the Nystatin prescription.

I have had since then, perhaps several times a year, symptoms that I diagnose as a flare-up as Candida infection that I treat with over-the-counter and home remedies. I have wondered if I have an overgrowth of Candida in the intestinal tract that never entirely clears up. I have wished I could take an anti-fungal drug.

The doctor who suggested the change of diet and prescribed Nystatin had explained that an impaired immune system allowed fungus, which is normally in the body, to grow out of control. He said that cancer patients don't actually die of the cancer itself, but as cancer spreads, the body, in a weakened state, is overwhelmed with fungus. Is that true? Anyway, that's all I know on the subject, not much.

I hadn't heard that Dr. Lipkin has seen signs of fungal infection in ME/CFS patients. Interesting. Good.

 

[Cort]

The doctor who diagnosed me with ME/CFS in 1990 became interested in CFS because in the course of treating patients for Candida (a specialty of his), he saw patients that were more ill than the average patient and who didn't recover with the usual course of treatment. I guess he did some reading that took him to the subject of CFS, and he sought out a CFS specialist in his state to learn more.

The anti-fungal ("yeast-free") diet he gave me did help, and just suggesting a change in diet made me pay attention to what I was eating, and I have been careful of diet since then, adjusting it as my body changed through the decades. This doctor also prescribed a long course of the anti-fungal drug Nystatin. That helped, too. When I decided I just couldn't make that two hour drive anymore to see that doctor (he wanted me to come to the office once a month!), the doctor I saw next, a general practitioner close to home, was unwilling to continue the Nystatin prescription.

I have had since then, perhaps several times a year, symptoms that I diagnose as a flare-up as Candida infection that I treat with over-the-counter and home remedies. I have wondered if I have an overgrowth of Candida in the intestinal tract that never entirely clears up. I have wished I could take an anti-fungal drug.

The doctor who suggested the change of diet and prescribed Nystatin had explained that an impaired immune system allowed fungus, which is normally in the body, to grow out of control. He said that cancer patients don't actually die of the cancer itself, but as cancer spreads, the body, in a weakened state, is overwhelmed with fungus. Is that true? Anyway, that's all I know on the subject, not much.

I hadn't heard that Dr. Lipkin has seen signs of fungal infection in ME/CFS patients. Interesting. Good.

It really makes ME/CFS sound like AIDS doesn't it? THese opportunistic infections - maybe just small ones - settling in.

I tried Nystastin - it may have been the first thing I tried for ME/CFS but it was no go for me. It'll be interesting to see Lipkin's results. I can't remember exactly what he said - but there it was in my notes..

 

[JennyJenny]

Hey I forgot to mention that in a Simmaron talk Lipkin stated that some of his data suggests that some people with ME/CFS have fungal infections (!).

I didn't know that antifungal drugs existed - that's good to here, I mean hear.

I think that is true. There are a few that I believe had onset with mold and don't have the usual mold Dx or Environmental Illness for some reason. I Just keep thinking it boils down to our genetics and "some" trigger was going to get us and depending on trigger would then result in our severity, what is going on neurologically, co-infections, allergies to mold, etc. You know the drill.

Honestly, to study ME and CFS (depending on the criteria and who knows maybe they are truly separate diseases) and FMS would take a few billion a year. I mean REALLY figure out the quagmire of onsets and severity and develop ACCURATE blood tests and cures and prevention.

 

[Merida]

There are a lot of weird organisms out there - and many are just extremely difficult to detect. i remember a case from the 1970s - a very sick woman, cancer patient, with lung problems. Finally I grew out a Nocardia asteroides -took 3 weeks to grow. This is one of these strange organisms that has characteristics of both bacteria and fungi. If I wasn't totally OCD about these cultures, I would have missed it, and the dx would not have happened.

So, I hope we have some good OCD folks working on this

 

[Forebearance]

Wow, I missed this post in 2015. Yikes. I didn't even know that humans normally have fungi in our bodies, other than Candida. I know I have been helped a lot by using Nystatin sprayed up the nose. I use a very tiny amount, so it doesn't cause a big die-off reaction. And that way my lymph system can keep up somewhat and not get clogged up in my lower jaw.

By the way, Nystatin is made out of a family of soil bacteria that kill fungi.