Scientists identify a virus and two bacteria that could be causing Alzheimer's

An international group of 31 Alzheimer's researchers has published an editorial urging the science world to change its focus when it comes to Alzheimer's disease. The message is clear - after a decade of failed attempts to treat and prevent the disease, it's time to reassess the evidence that Alzheimer's could be spread by microbes.

Study says that the first microbes we should investigate are the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), the chlamydia bacteria, and spirochaetes.

So how could viruses and bacteria trigger Alzheimer's disease? Well, we still don't really know, which is one of the reasons research has stalled in this area, but the herpes virus is already known to damage the nervous system, and microbial infections are known to inflammation around the body, which is a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Of course, the issue is not as clear-cut as the editorial makes it out to be - if it was, we'd already know how to fix the disease. And most importantly, experts are urging people not to freak out about the implication that Alzheimer's could be 'caught'.

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Scientists identify a virus and two bacteria that could be causing Alzheimer's

Source: ScienceAlert