Herpes Virus May Be Behind Alzheimer’s Disease, Experts Warn

A group of renowned dementia experts have warned that Alzheimer's disease could be caused by viruses and bacteria. They proposed for an urgent investigation about the link of infectious agents to the Alzheimer's causation.

The Telegraph reported that a group of 31 senior scientists and clinicians from all over the world have released an editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, suggesting that microbes are the major culprit of dementia. These include herpes virus that causes cold sores, as well as chlamydia bacteria and spirochaete.

"Alzheimer's disease causes great emotional and physical harm to sufferers and their carers as well as having enormously damaging economic consequences," the experts wrote. "We write to express our concern that one particular aspect of the disease has been neglected, even though treatment based on it might slow or arrest Alzheimer's disease progression."

The experts said they derived their conclusions from various studies that implicate the common presence of microbes, specifically herpes simplex virus type 1, chlamydia pneumoniae and several types of spirochaete, in the elderly brain. They suggested that further research should be conducted to pinpoint the role of microbes in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

However, some researchers and dementia charities refuted the suggestions of the team. John Hardy, professor of Neuroscience at University College London, told the Independent that there has been no convincing proof that microbes are the cause of the disease. "We need always to keep an open mind but this editorial does not reflect what most researchers think about Alzheimer's disease," he commented.

Moreover, Dr. Simon Ridley, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, acknowledged that there are some evidence to suggest that infections could weaken the immune system and could contribute to Alzheimer's progression. However, he said that there is no conclusive evidence implicating that a specific infectious agent or microbe is directly responsible for causing Alzheimer's.

"There are many avenues being explored to understand the initial events that trigger the development of Alzheimer's and this is an important part of the research process for ruling in and out particular hypotheses," Ridley stated.