March 9, 2016

expert reaction to editorial suggesting microbes may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease

An editorial published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has called for more research to investigate the role of microbes in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Prof. John Hardy, Professor of Neuroscience, UCL, said:

“This is a minority view in Alzheimer research. There had been no convincing proof of infections causing Alzheimer disease. We need always to keep an open mind but this editorial does not reflect what most researchers think about Alzheimer disease.”

Dr. James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society said:

“A large number of different microbes including viruses, bacteria and fungi have been found in the brains of older people – but there do appear to be more of them in the brains of people who have died with Alzheimer’s disease. While these observations are interesting and warrant further research, there is currently insufficient evidence to tell us that microbes are responsible for causing Alzheimer’s disease in the vast majority of cases. We would like to reassure people that there remains no convincing evidence that Alzheimer’s disease is contagious or can be passed from person to person like a virus.

“Given the enormous global impact of dementia, there is intense interest from the research community to understand all the potential contributing factors. We welcome research that explores all possible avenues and have committed £100 million over the next decade to more fully understand the causes of dementia and to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the condition.”

*Editorial: Microbes and Alzheimer’s Disease by Itzhaki et al. was published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on Tuesday 8 March 2016.

Declared interests

None received.