HSV-1 infection of the central nervous system targets the same brain regions most affected in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and could play a pathogenic role in AD. HSV-1 serum IgG titers were analyzed in patients with mild AD (n = 83) and healthy controls (HC, n = 51); results were correlated with cortical grey matter (GM) volumes as analyzed by MRI. Seroprevalence and antibody (Ab) titers were comparable between AD and HC; elevated Ab titers (>75th percentile) were nevertheless significantly more frequent in AD and were positively correlated with cortical bilateral temporal and orbitofrontal GM volumes. HSV-1-specific-Ab could possibly play a protective role in the early stages of AD.

PMID:

 

24072067

 

[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] 

Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of dementia with a multifactorial and still barely understood etiology. A growing body of epidemiologic and experimental data support a role for infectious agents in this process; herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), in particular, is a strong suspect. We briefly summarize the data pointing at a pathogenic role for HSV-1 in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and review results indicating that antiviral might be beneficial in the therapy of this condition.

PMID:

 

24502805

 

[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

BACKGROUND:

Previous studies have suggested a link between herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

METHODS:

The present analysis included 3432 persons (53.9% women, mean age at inclusion 62.7 ± 14.4 years) with a mean follow-up time of 11.3 years. The number of incident AD cases was 245. Serum samples were analyzed for anti-HSV antibodies (immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

RESULTS:

The presence of anti-HSV IgG antibodies was not associated with an increased risk for AD, controlled for age and sex (hazard ratio, HR, 0.993, P = .979). However, the presence of anti-HSV IgM at baseline was associated with an increased risk of developing AD (HR 1.959, P = .012).

CONCLUSION:

Positivity for anti-HSV IgM, a sign of reactivated infection, was found to almost double the risk for AD, whereas the presence of anti-HSV IgG antibodies did not affect the risk.

Copyright © 2014 The Alzheimer’s Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID:

 

25043910

 

[PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

BACKGROUND:

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is prevalent in older adults and has been implicated in many chronic diseases of aging. This study investigated the relation between CMV and the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD).

METHODS:

Data come from 3 cohort studies that included 849 participants (mean age [±SD], 78.6 ± 7.2 years; mean education duration [±SD], 15.4 ± 3.3 years; 25% black).

RESULTS:

A solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for detecting type-specific immunoglobulin G antibody responses to CMV and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) measured in archived serum samples. Of 849 participants, 73.4% had serologic evidence of exposure to CMV (89.0% black and 68.2% white; P < .001). During an average of 5.0 years of follow-up, 93 persons developed AD. CMV seropositivity was associated with an increased risk of AD (relative risk, 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-3.27) and a faster rate of decline in global cognition (estimate [±standard error], -0.02 ± 0.01; P = .03) in models that controlled for age, sex, education duration, race, vascular risk factors, vascular diseases, and apolipoprotein ε4 level. Results were similar in black and white individuals for both incident AD and change in cognitive function and were independent of HSV-1 status.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest that CMV infection is associated with an increased risk of AD and a faster rate of cognitive decline in older diverse populations.

© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PMID:

 

25108028

 

[PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE] 

PMCID:

 

PMC4326304

 [Available on 2016-01-15]

• 1Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address: hugo.lovheim@germed.umu.se.
• 2Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
• 3Department of Odontology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
• 4Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
• 5Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
• 6Department of Clinical Microbiology, Virology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

BACKGROUND:

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is thought to play an etiological role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

METHODS:

Plasma samples from 360 AD cases (75.3% women, mean age 61.2 years) and 360 age- and sex-matched dementia-free controls, taken on average 9.6 years before AD diagnosis, were analyzed for anti-HSV antibodies (immunoglobulin G, IgG, and immunoglobulin M, IgM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

RESULTS:

In the complete sample group, the presence of anti-HSV IgG and IgM antibodies did not increase the risk of AD significantly (odds ratio (OR) 1.636, P = .069 and OR 1.368, P = .299, respectively). In cases with 6.6 years or more between plasma sampling and AD diagnosis (n = 270), there was a significant association between presence of anti-HSV IgG antibodies and AD (OR 2.250, P = .019).

CONCLUSION:

Among persons with a follow-up time of 6.6 years or more, HSV infection was significantly associated with AD.

Copyright © 2014 The Alzheimer’s Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID:

 

25304990

 

[PubMed – as supplied by publisher]