"To make their discovery, researchers examined donated eye tissue from more than 100 people who had died with Alzheimer's, mild cognitive impairment or no signs of dementia. They were looking specifically for C. pneumoniae, because previous research has already linked it to Alzheimer's. The bacteria has also been detected in brain tissue from patients who died with the condition, sometimes found close to the sticky amyloid plaques and tangles believed to drive memory loss and confusion."
"A common bacteria best known for causing mild cold-like illnesses could linger in the body for years and worsen Alzheimer's, new research suggests. The bug, Chlamydia pneumoniae, is thought to infect up to 80 per cent of adults at some point. For most, it causes little more than a sore throat, fatigue and sniffles. But in vulnerable people - including the very young and elderly - it can trigger far more serious chest infections, including pneumonia."
Chlamydia pneumoniae commonly causes mild respiratory symptoms but can cause severe chest infections in the very young and elderly. The bacterium is estimated to infect up to 80 percent of adults at some point and can persist in the body for years by living inside human cells and evading the immune system. Signs of the bacteria were detected in eye tissue and previously in brain tissue of people who died with Alzheimer's, sometimes near amyloid plaques and tangles. European surveillance recorded a sharp surge in 2024 cases, possibly due to post-Covid immunity debt or an emerging strain. Early antibiotic treatment upon detection could reduce dementia risk.
Read at Mail Online
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]