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Bacteria, Fungi in Central Nervous System Might Be Related to Onset of ALS
Several species of bacteria and fungi were found living in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could potentially be related to the development of the disease, a study reports.
However, according to the researchers, more studies are still needed to confirm if there is a direct link between these pathogens and disease onset. Click here to read more about this research.
What do you think about this study and its findings?
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10 Replies
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11 test subjects and no normal controls.
Although there are other studies showing similar results, anyone drawing conclusions from this one is foolish.
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My husband is/was a sheep farmer. Has there been any studies relating to chemicals used by farmers i.e. Sheep dip?
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I once used the data from the CDC in a back the envelop calculation, it shown that the prevalence of ALS was higher in smaller (maybe rural) counties.
But I am neither a scientist nor living in US, so take it with a grain of salt.
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I agree with Gregory; that the quoted study on bacteria in our CNS is on too small a sample – – only 11 patients.
The human nervous system remains a mystery to medical experts. Yes, Polynesians exposed to blue-green algae get ALS symptoms. So do Gulf War veterans exposed to chemicals. Some football players have ALS, so do some people following head trauma and general surgery.
So, what about those like me who never played football, ate algae or was exposed to chemicals? I spent 30 years practicing yoga, meditation, tai chi and was a vegetarian – – and now have ALS.
My attitude is “why put energy into wondering why, let the experts do that. My goal is to support my body through good wellness habits – – and live well while living with ALS.” 🙂
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I was a crop farmer could the ground I would in hmmm the only thing my mom died in 2013 from ALS she was a teacher
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I was healthy worked in developmental disability fields plus a farmer very active why did I get this my mom had it is that why?
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This might be helpful. http://www.alsa.org/research/focus-areas/genetics/
My doctor explained that in my family the mutation is from my father’s side of the family, and is in the SOD1 gene. The mutation was not required from both parents in my family’s cases (13 plus).Â
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Julie,
Only a doctor could provide information about the origin of ALS in your case, and probably only in the case it is a familial ALS.
We have genes in our cells, genes are the blueprint that the cells use to produce proteins. Proteins are the little motors, sensors and messaging system of the life. The cell uses in some cases genes that are not of the standard type (scientists call them “wild type”), so those genes might express proteins that do not behave correctly. There is nothing wrong about that, we all bear multiple mutations. There are ~30 genes involved in ALS but most people with the familial form have either a defective TARDBP gene (95%), SOD1 (5%) of FUS (5%) or a mix of the TARDBP and FUS.
The familial form of ALS does not follow Mendelian inheritance, both parents have to bear at least two defective genes. So children do not automatically inherit fALS.
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I forgot another important gene in fALS: <i>C9orf72</i>
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There are several viruses or bacterial that can cause similar symptoms with ALS and we dont know yet how exactly works many of them. For example Tuberculosis (mycobacterium) is known way back from 17th Century and just in 2015 was found a toxin that it wasnt known. Millions of people has Pulmonary Tuberculosis and maybe when the immune system of a person is down this is the trigger to cause the known ALS. The infections used to ignored on neurological conditions due luck of fever and rest. I was reading about Lyme disease and i decide to make a test for this on my dad and it was positive. I went with this to many doctors but they told me that we dont have Lyme in Greece and lought. When on of them decide to make the test again he see that it was positive again but he say that this is not means that he is condition is this because of Lyme. And thats it, not treatment, no continue. The fact is that we know just a few things about the infections and the human body. I am sure that an infection makes the human body to works wrong in a stage when the person is week and i hope soon as my dad is still ok to find it..
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