Tag: Chlamydia pneumoniae

On the question of infectious aetiologies for multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia and the chronic fatigue syndrome and their treatment with antibiotics

Abstract:

Close similarities in the courses of multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia laid the theoretical ground for attempting to find a common infectious aetiology for the two diseases. Chlamydia pneumoniae, which belongs to the rickettsial family of microorganisms has been linked to both diseases. It is postulated that since rickettsial microorganisms are ubiquitous in human populations they and the human species normally live in peaceful coexistence. In rare cases, for unknown reasons, varieties of them may become aggressive and pathogenic.

The kynurenic acid hypothesis of schizophrenia has attracted much attention. It also seems to have initiated a paradigmatic shift from the hitherto prevailing serological research approach to one which focuses on immunological factors.

An open clinical pilot study in which, during 2006, eight female and five male patients with psychotic symptoms were treated with a combination of antibiotics is presented, to which, in the beginning of 2007 two female patients suffering from severe and long standing chronic fatigue syndrome were added. On one year follow-up, six out of the eight female patients showed stable excellent treatment results, whereas two were rated as showing significant treatment results. Four of the five men who entered the study were suffering from chronic schizophrenia, whereas the fifth, was a case of severe acute catatonic schizophrenia.

Two of the male patients showed significant treatment results, whereas three of them were rated as having had a slight to moderate improvement. No less than three of the women had suffered their first episode of psychosis after giving birth to their first (and only) child. This finding, as these women all responded excellently to treatment with antibiotics, indicates that post partum psychosis could be regarded as an infectious complication of childbirth of, as to the causative agent, unknown aetiology. High priority ought therefore be given to initiate controlled clinical trials with antibiotic treatment of this serious condition. The otherwise promising results of the pilot study seem to warrant further and controlled clinical trials with treatment with antibiotics of patients with psychotic symptoms.

As the second patient with psychotic symptoms to enter the study, had a long standing history of chronic fatigue, where an initial treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine had only worsened her condition, whereas ninety days of treatment with antibiotics, combined with vitamin B injections, effected a complete recovery, the author decided, when two patients with long standing and incapacitating chronic fatigue syndromes sought the clinic in February and March 2007, to include them in the study. The first of them, after sixty days of treatment with antibiotics showed excellent treatment results on follow-up one year later, whereas the second, who also took the combination of antibiotics for sixty days, was rated as having shown a significant improvement.

Comment in: Hypotheses concerning rickettsial microorganisms, autoimmune diseases and new treatment strategies. [Med Hypotheses. 2010]

 

Source: Frykholm BO. On the question of infectious aetiologies for multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia and the chronic fatigue syndrome and their treatment with antibiotics. Med Hypotheses. 2009 Jun;72(6):736-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2008.11.045. Epub 2009 Mar 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269110

 

Multiple co-infections (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, human herpes virus-6) in blood of chronic fatigue syndrome patients: association with signs and symptoms

Abstract:

Previously we and others found that a majority of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients showed evidence of systemic mycoplasmal infections, and their blood tested positive using a polymerase chain reaction assay for at least one of the four following Mycoplasma species: M. fermentans, M. hominis, M. pneumoniae or M. penetrans.

Consistent with previous results, patients in the current study (n=200) showed a high prevalence (overall 52%) of mycoplasmal infections. Using forensic polymerase chain reaction we also examined whether these same patients showed evidence of infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae (overall 7.5% positive) and/or active human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6, overall 30.5% positive).

Since the presence of one or more infections may predispose patients to other infections, we examined the prevalence of C. pneumoniae and HHV-6 active infections in mycoplasma-positive and -negative patients. Unexpectedly, we found that the incidence of C. pneumoniae or HHV-6 was similar in Mycoplasma-positive and -negative patients, and the converse was also found in active HHV-6-positive and -negative patients. Control subjects (n=100) had low rates of mycoplasmal (6%), active HHV-6 (9%) or chlamydial (1%) infections, and there were no co-infections in control subjects. Differences in bacterial and/or viral infections in CFS patients compared to control subjects were significant.

Severity and incidence of patients’ signs and symptoms were compared within the above groups. Although there was a tendency for patients with multiple infections to have more severe signs and symptoms (p<0.01), the only significant differences found were in the incidence and severity of certain signs and symptoms in patients with multiple co-infections of any type compared to the other groups (p<0.01). There was no correlation between the type of co-infection and severity of signs and symptoms. The results indicate that a large subset of CFS patients show evidence of bacterial and/or viral infection(s), and these infections may contribute to the severity of signs and symptoms found in these patients.

 

Source: Nicolson GL, Gan R, Haier J. Multiple co-infections (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, human herpes virus-6) in blood of chronic fatigue syndrome patients: association with signs and symptoms. APMIS. 2003 May;111(5):557-66. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12887507

 

Controversies in neurological infectious diseases

Abstract:

The past several years have seen major advances in our understanding of neurological infectious diseases, their diagnosis, and their treatment. Along with these advances, however, new information about infectious agents and new therapeutic options have also introduced both uncertainty and controversy in the approach and management of patients with diseases of the central nervous system. Here, we discuss six such areas: the long-term efficacy of HAART therapy in treatment of HIV infection; the role of viral infection in chronic fatigue syndrome; Rasmussen’s encephalitis as an infectious or autoimmune disease; the spectrum of neurological diseases caused by rickettsial infection; the role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in human central nervous system disease; and the possible association of Chlamydia pneumoniae and human herpesvirus 6 with multiple sclerosis.

 

Source: Greenlee JE, Rose JW. Controversies in neurological infectious diseases. Semin Neurol. 2000;20(3):375-86. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11051301

 

Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection: a treatable cause of chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), an elusive and controversial illness, has been a difficult management problem for clinicians. A number of infectious agents have been implicated as the cause of CFS, although consistent and compelling evidence is still lacking [1]. Few well-documented infections could cause persistent in- flammatory reaction leading to the symptomatology of CFS [2, 3]. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory infection and has been demonstrated within plaques of the coronary arteries years after initial infection [4]. Recently demonstrated replication of C. pneumoniae within human macrophages and endothelial cells [5] and a potent inducer of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-a and IL-1 [6], raised the possibility of chronic infection that leads to persistent inflammatory response. A previous study failed to demonstrate elevated titers of antibody to C. pneumoniae in 50 patients with CFS [7], although fatigue is a common symptom reported by patients for whom sp

Over the past 3 years, we encountered 10 of 171 patients with symptoms of chronic fatigue who had elevated titers of antibody to C. pneumoniae long after initial respiratory infection. Most patients had favorable clinical and serological responses to a 1- to 2-months course of azithromycin therapy, although relapse was common. The clinical symptoms of and titers of antibody to C. pneumoniae for our 10 patients over the course of treatment are summarized in table 1.

You can read the rest of this article here: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/452.long

 

Source: Chia JK, Chia LY. Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection: a treatable cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. Clin Infect Dis. 1999 Aug;29(2):452-3. http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/2/452.long (Full article)