Herman Friedman, Ph.D.

Alzheimer's Disease and Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection

It is widely accepted that infection by a microorganism may be a causative or co-factor in various chronic diseases. In this regard, a number of studies recently suggest that Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), a ubiquitous opportunistic intracellular pathogen first recognized only two decades ago, is associated with various autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis and possibly arthritis, as well as late onset sporadic AD. Evidence for this is based upon detection of Cpn histologically and by electron microscopy in the brain of patients who died with AD but rarely in patients with other neurological diseases. The proposed study will determine whether

1. early infection with Cpn accelerates the formation of AD plaques in the brain of Alzheimer's mouse models.
2. whether the disease is accelerated by Cpn and
3. whether the bacteria are present in brain plaques and other tissues, as well as blood monocytes.
4. whether the neuroprotective antimicrobial drug "minocyclin", when given to Cpn infected mice, suppresses or ameliorates the development of Alzheimer's disease.
5. Whether more Cpn infections and a higher CPN level is found in blood monocytes of Alzheimer's patients than age matched patients with other neurological diseases.