PHILADELPHIA, June 11 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have found that pathogens such as herpes simplex virus type 1 and Chlamydia could be involved in the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology found these pathogens have the ability to cause late-onset, sporadic Alzheimer's, the most common form of the disease that accounts for nearly 90 percent of all cases.
Both type 1 herpes and Chlamydia pneumoniae have been found in brain tissues infected with Alzheimer's. The presence of these infections can cause inflammation of the brain, the researchers said, which is a major factor in the degeneration of nerve cells observed in Alzheimer's disease cases.
Researchers also reported these pathogens can result in a cycle of degeneration and nerve damage as the accumulation of amyloids -- a substance deposited in tissue during Alzheimer's -- builds up to inflict more damage.
The paper may provide important evidence showing chronic infection can lead to chronic diseases found in the older-aged population.
