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Tuesday, November 25, 2003 9:14 AM

[asthma] I thought this appropriate for discussion for those seeking a

cure.

 

 

Infectious Disease Research

 

 

Chronic Infectious Diseases

 

 

Prof. Garth L. Nicolson

 

 

Respiratory Diseases

 

Chronic respiratory diseases, such as chronic asthma, airway

inflammation, chronic pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, are known to

be associated with chronic infections. For example, mycoplasmal infections

are a common cause of upper respiratory infections, and severe asthma is

commonly associated with mycoplasmal infections. These are complex diseases

of largely unknown etiology, but in many cases chronic infections are to

blame. Some infections, such as those caused by certain Mycoplasma and

Chlaymdia species that are invasive and are found in respiratory epithelial

cells are able to suppress immune responses by suppressing the ability of

pulmonary macrophages to ingest and kill these infectious agents. Although

we do not know exactly what causes respiratory diseases, there is increasing

evidence that in many patients chronic infections, particularly by certain

bacteria and viruses, play an important role in these diseases along with

genetic predisposition and immune dysfunction.

 

Although mycoplasmal infections are often associated with Chronic

Asthma, the exact role of mycoplasmas in the pathogenesis of Asthma remains

unclear. Certain Mycoplasma species are involved in respiratory tract

infections associated with airway inflammations, induction of bronchial

hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and asthmatic attacks. At a minimum, M. pneumoniae

infections can cause worsening of conditions in asthmatic patients, whose

attacks are associated with significant and specific immune responses.

Mycoplasmas are only one of many agents that can trigger BHR, and other

infectious or chemical agents may contribute to the complex disease process.

Such infectious agents could be involved in helping to cause the illness, or

they can affect patients by serving as cofactors for the illness (not

causing illness on their own but serving as important factors in the disease

process) or even as opportunistic infections that increase patient morbidity

(sickness) and complications associated with the disease (see Nicolson et

al., Antimicrobics and Infectious Diseases Newsletter, 1999 ; 17(11):81-88).

 

Urogenital Diseases

 

We and others have found that Mycoplasma species are commonly present

in urogenital infections. For example, mycoplasmal infections were detected

in more than 12% of females who presented at gynecological services, and

they are associated with acute and nonspecific non-gonococcal urethritis in

males but not in asymptomatic controls. This type of microorganism is also a

common cause of genital infections in women, and it was detectable in 7% of

women with sexually transmitted diseases. Mycoplasmal and other chronic

bacteria have been implicated in a wide variety of urogenital diseases, such

as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)

and other genital infections, pyelonephritis, Reiter's syndrome, and

peritonitis. The appearance of various bacterial species in bacterial

vaginosis may be a result of pathophysiological alterations of the vaginal

ecosystem, and mycoplasmas appear to play an important role in this process.

Mycoplasmas are also known to interfere in pregnancy and are thought to be

involved in at least 11% of patients with fertility problems.

 

Immunosuppressive Diseases

 

Some Mycoplasma species, M. fermentans, M. penetrans, and M. pirum,

have been implicated as infectious cofactors in HIV-AIDS. Using relatively

insensitive techniques all three mycoplasmas have been detected in up to 20%

of patients with HIV infections, and serological studies have suggested that

the presence of M. penetrans is also associated with HIV infection.

Moreover, the incidence of systemic mycoplasmal infections in HIV-AIDS

patients is probably much, much higher than previously thought and may

approach 80% or more. Most of the older analyses were performed using

relatively insensitive techniques, such as serological analysis. Pathogenic

Mycoplasma species may influence HIV pathogenesis by specific and direct

activation or suppression of the immune system, the production of

superantigens with subsequent alterations in immune responses, or by their

contribution to the oxidative stress observed in HIV-positive patients.

Also, the development of AIDS may increase the susceptibility of

HIV-infected patients for coinfection with various Mycoplasma species, such

as M. fermentans. This species is able to bind HIV capsid protein gp120

permitting adhesion of HIV virions to the mycoplasma surface. Subsequently

the HIV viruses could be transported directly to cells expressing specific

receptors. After binding to target cells, mycoplasmas can stimulate host

cell activation by releasing certain cytokine mediators, which are known

effectors for virus reproduction.

 

Antigen similarities between the surface components of mycoplasmas and

HIV-1 have led to speculation that they use similar mechanisms for cell

entry. For example, the HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein and M. genitalium

adhesion proteins share protein sequence homology and also have significant

similarity with the binding site proteins. The interactions of

microorganisms with certain antigens on host cells could contribute to a

number of possible outcomes, including immune cell dysfunction, depletion,

cell shift (to other subsets of immune cells), antibody-producing immune

cell proliferation, hyperglobulinemia (a state where certain immunoglobulin

proteins of the same class are overproduced) and antigen-presenting cell

dysfunction (antigen presentation to the immune system is a very important

step in immunity). Interestingly, all of these have been observed during the

development of HIV-AIDS, and this makes certain microorganisms like

mycoplasmas so important to understand this disease process.

 

Cardiac Diseases

 

Mycoplasmal and chlamydial infections of the heart have been reported

in patients with different types of carditis or heart infections. The most

common association was with M. pneumoniae or C. pneumoniae infection.

Endocarditis and myocarditis associated with mycoplasmal and chlamydial

infections appear to be an important cause of death. Direct bacterial

invasion of M. pneumoniae into pericardial tissue appears to be more likely

to cause pericarditis than autoimmune phenomena. Viral and bacterial

(Mycoplasma, Chlamydia and Mycobacterium tuberculosis) infections appear to

be common causes of myocarditis and/or pericarditis (infections of the

muscle and cell lining of the heart), and this is just beginning to be

appreciated by infectious disease specialists.

 

 

 

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

1 The Pathogenesis And Treatment Of Mycoplasmal Infections

Antimicrob. Infect. Dis. Newsl. 1999; 17(11) : 81-88 html doc

2 Role of Mycoplasmal Infections in Fatigue Illnesses: Chronic Fatigue

and Fibromyalgia Syndromes, Gulf War Illness and Rheumatoid Arthritis

The Clinical and Scientific Basis of CFS, Sydney, 1999 html doc

3 Mycoplasmal Infections in Chronic Illnesses: Fibromyalgia and

Chronic Fatigue Syndromes, Gulf War Illness, HIV-AIDS and Rheumatoid

Arthritis

Medical Sentinel 1999; 4:172-176 html doc

4 Identification And Treatment Of Chronic Infections In CFIDS,

Fibromyalgia Syndrome And Rheumatoid Arthritis

CFIDS Chronicle 1999; 12(3): 19-21 html doc

5 Diagnosis and integrative treatment of intracellular bacterial

infections in Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Syndromes, Gulf War Illness,

Rheumatoid Arthritis and other chronic illnesses. Clin. Pract. Alt. Medicine

2000;1(2): 92-102. html doc

6 Role of Mycoplasmal Infections in Fatigue Illnesses: Chronic Fatigue

and Fibromyalgia Syndromes, Gulf War Illness and Rheumatoid Arthritis J.

Chronic Fatigue Syndr. 2000; 6(3/4):23-39 html doc

7 Examination of mycoplasmas in blood of 565 Chronic Illness patients

by polymerase chain reaction. Intern. J. Med. Biol. Environ. 2000; 28(1):

15-23. html doc

8 Bacterial and Viral Co-Infections in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

(CFS/ME) Patients, by Nicolson et al., Proc. Clinical & Scientific

Conference on Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the

Practitioners Challenge, Alison Hunter Foundation, Sydney, Australia 2002

html doc

9 Brucella Abortus Bang Its Relationship to Other Diseases, by A.J.

Lindeman. Journal of Degenerative Diseases 2002 html doc

10 High prevalence of mycoplasmal infections among European Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome patients. Examination of four Mycoplasma species in Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome patients. FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. 2002; 34: 209-214.

html doc

11 Multiple Co-Infections (Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Human Herpes

Virus-6) in Blood of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. G.L. Nicolson et

al., Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2003; 11(2):7-19. html doc

 

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REPORTS

 

1 Diagnosis and Therapy of Chronic Systemic Co-infections In Lyme

Disease and Other Tick-Borne Infectious Diseases

html doc

2 Autoimmune Neurological and Rheumatic Diseases: Role of Chronic

Infections in Morbitity and Progression by Garth Nicolson and Nancy

Nicolson, Proc. 13th Intern. Symp. Integrative Medicine 2001; 13: 104-112.

html doc

3 Mycoplasmas: the Missing Link in Fatiguing Illnesses by Michael

Guthrie, Alternative Medicine; 2001; Sept: 60-70. html doc

4 Veterinary Testing for Chronic Infections html doc

5 Recommendations for diagnostic laboratory testing html doc

6 Mycology News for Health Practitioners, Vol. 1, No. 6, Feb. 2002

html doc

7 Chronic Co-Infections in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia

Syndrome and Other Chronic Illnesses by Garth Nicolson and Paul Berns, 2002.

html doc

 

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