BJMP 2010;3(1):301 Role of Chronic Bacterial and Viral Infections in Neurodegenerative, Neurobehavioural, Psychiatric, Autoimmune and Fatiguing Illnesses: Part 2

Chronically ill patients with neurodegenerative and neurobehavioural and psychiatric diseases commonly have systemic and central nervous system bacterial and viral infections. In addition, other chronic illnesses where neurological manifestations are routinely found, such as fatiguing and autoimmune diseases, Lyme disease and Gulf War illnesses, also show systemic bacterial and viral infections that could be important in disease inception, progression or increasing the types/severities of signs and symptoms. Evidence of Mycoplasma species, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Borrelia burgdorferi, human herpesvirus-1, -6 and -7 and other bacterial and viral infections revealed high infection rates in the above illnesses that were not found in controls. Although the specific roles of chronic infections in various diseases and their pathogeneses have not been carefully determined, the data suggest that chronic bacterial and/or viral infections are common features of progressive chronic diseases. ABBREVIATIONS Ab Beta Amyloid; AD Alzheimer’s Disease; ADHD Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; ASD Autism Spectrum Disorders; EBV Epstein-Barr Virus; CFS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; CFS/ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyopathy; CI Confidence Interval; CMV Cytomegalovirus; CSF Cerebrospinal Fluid; CNS Central Nervous System; ELISA Enzyme Linked Immunoabsorbant Assay; GS GuillainBarré Syndrome; GWI Gulf War Illnesses; HHV Human Herpes Virus; HSV Herpes Simplex Virus; MDD Major Depressive Disorder; ME Myalgic Encephalomyelitis; MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging; MS Multiple Sclerosis; OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; PANDAS Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Streptococci; PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction; PD Parkinson’s Disease; QOL Quality Of Life; TS Tourette’s Syndrome