AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES CAUSED BY AN INFECTION?

Coronary heart disease Coronary heart disease is associated with herpes simplex virus 1 and the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae.

Stroke Stroke is associated with the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae

Click to expand...

Laura said:

I was doing some looking around today and discovered that wikipedia actually has a page on this topic which includes an almost astonishing list of conditions, both physical and mental, that are claimed to be caused by pathogens.

Click to expand...

Bacteria

anaerobic bacteria, especially Propionibacterium acnes: Lower back pain

Bartonella: Major depressive disorder, Panic disorder

Borrelia: Anorexia nervosa, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, Obsessive–compulsive disorder, Panic disorder, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sarcoidosis, Schizophrenia

Borrelia burgdorferi: Dementia, Major depressive disorder

Campylobacter jejuni: Guillain–Barré syndrome

Chlamydia pneumoniae: Adult-onset asthma, Alzheimer's disease, Atherosclerosis, Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis), Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema), Coronary heart disease, Lung cancer, Metabolic syndrome, Multiple sclerosis, Myocardial infarction (heart attack) , Stroke, Tourette syndrome

Chlamydia trachomatis: Schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome

Clostridia bacteria species: Autism

Coxiella burnetii: Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)

enteroaggregative Escherichia coli: Irritable bowel syndrome

Firmicutes bacteria (such as Clostridium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Helicobacter pylori): Obesity

Fusobacterium nucleatum: Colorectal cancer

Helicobacter pylori: Alzheimer's disease, Anxiety disorder, Autoimmune thyroid disease, Colorectal cancer, Metabolic syndrome, Pancreatic cancer, Psoriasis, Sarcoidosis, Stomach cancer, Stroke

Mycobacteria species: Sarcoidosis

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis: Crohn's disease, Irritable bowel syndrome

Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Autoimmune diseases, Stroke

Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Stroke, Tourette syndrome

Rickettsia species bacteria: Thromboangiitis obliterans

Salmonella typhi: Gallbladder cancer

Streptococcus: Anorexia nervosa, ADHD, Obsessive–compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome

Streptococcus bovis: Colorectal cancer

Fungi

Histoplasma: Stroke

Parasites

Schistosoma helminths: Bladder cancer

Schistosoma japonicum helminths: Colorectal cancer, Liver cancer -- Hepatocellular carcinoma

Taenia solium helminths (pork tapeworm): Dementia

Blastocystis hominis protozoan: Irritable bowel syndrome

Dientamoeba fragilis protozoan: Anorexia, Irritable bowel syndrome (HIV)

Giardia lamblia protozoan: Irritable bowel syndrome

Toxoplasma gondii protozoan: Alzheimer's disease, Depression, Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome

Virii

adenovirus 36: Obesity

BK virus: Adrenal tumor, Brain tumor -- Glioblastoma multiforme, Prostate cancer

bornavirus: Bipolar disorder, Dementia, Major depressive disorder, Schizophrenia

cytomegalovirus: Anxiety disorder, Autism, Autoimmune diseases, Brain tumor -- Glioblastoma multiforme, Dementia, Depression, Diabetes mellitus type 2, Guillain–Barré syndrome, Lupus, Metabolic syndrome, Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

enteroviruses such as Coxsackie B virus: Autoimmune diseases, Carcinoid tumors, Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis), Diabetes mellitus type 2, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Guillain–Barré syndrome, Myocardial infarction (heart attack) , Schizophrenia

enterovirus 71: ADHD

echovirus (an enterovirus): Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

viral species from the enterovirus genus (echovirus 4, Coxsackie B virus, Coxsackie B1 virus): Crohn's disease (disease-associated mutations in either NOD2 or ATG16L1 genes), Diabetes mellitus type 1

Epstein-Barr virus: Autoimmune diseases, Autoimmune thyroid disease, Breast cancer, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema), Hodgkin's lymphoma, Lupus, Multiple sclerosis, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Seasonal affective disorder

hepatitis B virus: Liver cancer -- Hepatocellular carcinoma, Pancreatic cancer, Vasculitis

hepatitis C virus: Diabetes mellitus type 2, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Liver cancer -- Hepatocellular carcinoma, Vasculitis

herpes simplex virus 1: Alzheimer's disease, Bipolar disorder (level of cognitive impairment), Coronary heart disease, Dementia, Metabolic syndrome

herpes simplex virus 2: Dementia

HIV: ADHD, Autoimmune diseases, Dementia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's Sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Vasculitis

human herpesvirus: Epilepsy

human herpesvirus 6: ADHD, Multiple sclerosis, Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)

human herpesvirus 7: Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis)

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus: Kaposi's Sarcoma

human papillomaviruses: Anal cancer, Breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Colorectal cancer, Lung cancer, Oropharyngeal cancer, Skin neoplasm, Squamous cell carcinoma

human parechovirus: Diabetes mellitus type 1

human respiratory syncytial virus: Asthma

human T-cell leukemia virus-1: Leukemia -- Adult T-cell leukemia

influenza A: ADHD, Parkinson's disease

JC virus: Brain tumor -- Glioblastoma multiforme, Colorectal cancer

Ljungan virus: Diabetes mellitus type 2

Merkel cell polyomavirus: Lung cancer

mouse mammary tumor virus: Breast cancer

mumps virus: Ovarian cancer

the norovirus CR6 strain (only in combination with a variant of the Crohn’s susceptibility gene ATG16L1, and chemical toxic damage to the gut): Crohn's disease (murine)

parvovirus B19: Autoimmune diseases, Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis), Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Vasculitis

retrovirus activity (it is not known whether this retrovirus activity arises from a human endogenous retrovirus, or from an exogenous retrovirus): Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

rhinovirus: Asthma

rubella virus: Autism

simian virus 40: Adrenal tumor, Brain tumor -- Glioblastoma multiforme, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Thyroid cancer, Mesothelioma

varicella zoster virus: Multiple sclerosis, Stroke

West Nile virus: Dementia, Depression

xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV): Prostate cancer

Click to expand...

Q: (Data) How does one get these pathogens?

A: Food and water and infections that weaken and allow entry.

Q: (L) So you can have them in your food and water like anywhere, but unless you get something else that weakens you, they don't take hold?

A: Yes

Click to expand...

Persej said:

This is interesting. I have a mysterious heart problem (tachycardia and low blood pressure) and they found Chlamydia pneumoniae in my blood. But my doctors don't want to treat that problem. Only one doctor wanted to prescribe me an antibiotics for three weeks, which did helped me a little, and even some dermatological problems disappeared, but now I feel weak again and my acne are back, and the bacteria is still in my blood. But doctors are telling me that that is not a problem. :/

They said to me that if I don't have a problem with my lungs that I don't have to worry about Chlamydia pneumoniae. :/

Click to expand...

The information in this thread would seem to indicate otherwise -- it might be worth trying to find a doctor who will be more proactive about helping you treat your infection.

Click to expand...

Persej said:

Well, I've been to pulmonologist and infectologist and they both said that this is not a problem. And all doctors are generally against the use of antibiotics, and if they do prescribe it they do it only for the short treatment. Nothing like this long protocol that Laura is using.

Click to expand...

Epstein-Barr virus: Autoimmune diseases, Autoimmune thyroid disease, Breast cancer, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (which includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema), Hodgkin's lymphoma, Lupus, Multiple sclerosis, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Seasonal affective disorder

Click to expand...

This link, for example says that it can be treated with specific herbs. Maybe you can do more research.

Click to expand...

Keit said:

The problem with Chlamydia, that it has characteristics both of a bacteria and a virus, therefore more difficult to eradicate using only antibiotics.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, relapsing Chlamydia symptoms may be due to an insufficient dose or too short a duration of antibiotics.

Click to expand...

Persej said:

Unfortunately, relapsing Chlamydia symptoms may be due to an insufficient dose or too short a duration of antibiotics.

Click to expand...

And this is exactly what doctors do not recommend: using the antibiotics in long term.

Click to expand...

Corey Schuler said:

Anxiety precedes changes to the microbiome -- it’s like a nuclear bomb to the microbiome.

Click to expand...

This is a video series dedicated to answering two very important questions. The first question is “How does our gut health influence the health of the rest of the body?“. The second question is “Why do supplements, esp. methylation nutrients, make my symptoms WORSE?” These are questions which come up again and again in the minds of both doctors and patients. These are questions which hold the key to understanding the root cause of many methylation problems. And these are questions I am going to unravel for you over the course of the next two videos! In today’s video post, we are going to start the discussion by looking at stress…

Stress impacts our health in ways we are just now understanding. And how the digestive system is impacted by stress is the focus of exciting new research that sheds light on many questions regarding health and methylation. Many people take methylation support nutrients, often based off a genetic test that shows they need it, only to have their symptoms get WORSE after taking the vitamins? How is it possible to get worse by taking things which are known and proven to be good for you? What process or explanation can help us understand why some people get sicker when they take supplements? These are huge questions! And ones that I have spent a great deal of time working to figure out. And I believe I have found scientific evidence that shows WHY and HOW people get sick from vitamins…and we can do to fix it! After all just talking about a problem is one thing, but fixing it is another.

Certain genes makes us MORE susceptible to stress. This is a key part of understanding how genetic polymorphisms influence our feelings, our behavior, and our lives. In my opinion, the most important genes for stress are:

ACE – Angiotensin Converting Enzyme
COMT – Catechol-O-Methyl-Transferase
GAD – Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase
MAO – Monoamine Oxidasee
MTHFR – Methyl-Tetra-Hydro-Folate-Reductase

These genes act together, they work synergistically, to make a major impact on our brain, immune system, gut, and adrenal glands. These genes make it difficult to break down catecholamine neurotransmitters. When we are stressed we release high levels of adrenalin (aka epinephrine or catecholamines) and this is where the stress symptoms come from. Stress chemicals such as adrenalin, dopamine, norepinephrine cause rapid heart beat, sweating, panic attacks, trembling, anxiety, dizziness, etc. Tell me, do any of those symptoms sound familiar?

These symptoms are all SIDE EFFECTS of too many stress hormones in our body. And since MAO and COMT are responsible for breaking these molecules down, any SNPs in those pathways makes it harder for the body to clear those hormones. GAD and ACE act to increase stress hormones because they make the sympathetic nervous system more irritated. GAD increases glutamate (aka glutamic acid) levels and this triggers neuroinflammation among other things. ACE makes it hard for the body to break down angiotensin, a hormone related to adrenal stress and aldosterone, that increases blood pressure, interferes with digestion, and activates sympathetic stress activity. So those with MAO, COMT, MTHFR, GAD and ACE are predisposed to both RELEASE more stress hormones and have a challenge BREAKING THEM DOWN. And how might this be a problem for the gut? Well the answer to that question will shock you!

I’ve just listed the most important genes which influence our level of stress and catecholamines. But I haven’t mentioned yet how stress hormones and neurotransimtters impact our gut. Its important for me to point out that regardless of your genes, when you release stress hormones about 50% of them go straight into your gut! In other words, every single living human on earth releases adrenalin into the gut each time the sympathetic nervous system is activated – no matter what SNPs they have! This is a HUGE deal since it means that the gut bacteria is getting doused with adrenalin at the same time as our heart, brain, liver, muscle and other tissues. Because we release HALF of our adrenalin into the gut lumen, the bacteria living there can use this dis-STRESS signal to their advantage. Allow me to explain…

Let's say you performed a science experiment and you took a sample of E. coli from your gut and put it into two identical petri dishes filled with serum – dish A and B. Then you squirted some adrenalin into dish A (experiment) and did not add anything to dish B (control). Then you come back a day later and measure how fast the two identical E. coli samples grew…you would notice that dish A grew 10,000% faster. Yes that is 10 to the 4th power – a massive increase! And its all due to the effects of adrenalin. Adrenalin (technically it is noradrenalin that goes into our gut but for simplicity I am using the word adrenalin interchangeably) gives bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella signals to grow and become aggressive. The adrenal released into the gut is a signal that the host is under duress and from a bacteria point-of-view it is a good time to grow the family. The bugs in our gut are always looking for signals about the health of the host. When adrenalin is released your body is basically saying to the bacteria “Hey go ahead and multiply I’m busy fighting for my life (real or imagined) so my immune system won’t be able to attack very well right now.” Get the picture?

And if the growth caused by adrenalin weren’t enough, it also gives the bacteria access to our iron. Adrenalin and other catecholamines help bacteria to tear iron off of transport proteins. Since iron is needed for bacteria to grow, our body makes sure they can’t get their hands on it easily. We put our iron on armored trucks called lactoferrin and transferrin – this way only we get to use it and the iron is delivered where we want it. When adrenalin is given to the bad bugs, they will hijack the iron off the truck. Its like a bank robbery happening in our gut! This may cause chronic anemia and a host of other related problems in the brain and elsewhere. If we lose iron we need and bad bugs use it to grow, its a sure bet that our gut and our brain won’t be feeling optimally healthy!

Bacteria live in our bodies in a give and take situation. They take up residence in our gut (mostly) and they give off chemical signals that either help us experience health or they chronically poison us. And its easy to get mad at these gut bugs and want them gone. I’m all for that! But the question of why the grew there in the first place needs to be addressed. We all have candida and e.coli and other pathogens in our gut. They belong there as part of the normal gut environment. The problem arises when the environment changes, and the gut bacteria change along with it. This is the key point to understand. Our gut health and which bugs are living down there is a reflection of the environment of the gut itself.

Gut bacteria are not all “good” or all “bad”. They can change their behavior based off signals from the host (us). We now know that half our adrenalin enters the gut each time we get stressed. This wouldn’t be a big deal unless the gut bacteria are able to use this catecholamine neurotransmitter to their advantage. And unfortunately they are able to do that. In a sick twist of fate or biochemistry (take your pick) the bacteria in our gut are always listening for signals from the host. If we send them stress signals then the they will take that opportunity to steal our iron, to grow and to become more aggressive. Its a give and take remember. If we give the gut signals that life is tragic, full of stress, fear, doom, and other negative emotions then we are literally giving the signal to gram-negative bacteria in our gut to grow rapidly. As you may have guessed by now rapidly growing gram-negative gut bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella will make us sick.

The solution to all this is to limit your exposure to stress and do the simple, fundamental things every day that prevent your body from going into fight or flight. Eat every 2-3 hours, eat low glycemic foods, pray/meditate, spend time going things that bring you joy, avoid things which bring you pain or sadness, sleep 8+ hours each night, etc. How to reduce your stress is a constant study, and I have outlined some key points for you in previous posts found here and here. The point is that by reducing your stress and taking the right supplements at the right time, you can moderate and influence the make-up of your gut. By lowering stress you lower adrenalin. Less adrenalin means less fuel for bad bugs to grow.

Click to expand...

Stress in our lives creates stress in our guts. That is a known and predictable fact of science. What is less clear, and what is the focus of this investigation, is to uncover just how those effects of stress show up in other parts of our bodies. I would like to remind you that stress in any form, whether it be physical, mental, or chemical stress, causes the release of adrenalin directly into the gut.

The first video showed us that stress increases adrenalin in the gut, and this allows gut bacteria to grow rapidly, often making us feel sick. This suggests that one of the main reasons people get sick when they take vitamins, is that they have a gut problem that hasn’t been fixed. Until the gut is functioning properly, the body won’t receive all the benefit from vitamins – and they actually can make you sick! In order to understand more about the stress-gut connection, we need to ask a couple of important questions. First, how does stress impact the integrity of the gut wall? And second, how do other SNPs besides ACE, COMT, GAD, MAO, and MTHFR play a role in the stress-gut connection? These and other questions will be answered below.

If you want to know how stress is impacting someone’s life, just ask them how their digestion is working. Chances are that if they have a problem handling stress then they will have problem with their digestion (or their brain). High stress triggers the release of high levels of catecholamines directly into the bloodstream and the gut. Those with MAO, COMT, ACE, GAD, MTHFR and other SNPs simply have a more difficult time dealing with stress. This difficulty handling stress often shows up as:

bloating
pain
gas
diarrhea
constipation
irritable bowel
anxiety
insomnia
depression
rage
indigestion
acid reflux
and much more…

About 70% of our immune system lives inside the wall of the gut. This is why the health of the gut is so important to the rest of our body, esp. when we are dealing with autoimmune problems, inflammation, infections, etc. The gut immune cells, also known as gut associated lymphatic tissue (or GALT) live inside special lymph nodes called Peyer’s Patches. The reason people say that 70% of the immune system lives inside the gut is that if you counted up all the lymph nodes in the body, about 70% of them would be found in Peyer’s Patches. Peyer’s Patches function as the white blood cell headquarters keeping our gut working properly. These Peyer’s Patches are necessary to keep our gut from leaking. They do this mainly by producing something called SIgA. SIgA may be familiar to you because it is one of the categories tested for on the common Variant Reports which use 23andme data.

SIgA is more than just a simple immuglobulin. It is the glue that maintains the integrity of the gut wall. SIgA acts like a barb-wire fence to keep bacteria and antigens that come from our diet from leaking into the body. With good SIgA levels the body is much less likely to have leaky gut and gut-brain inflammation. When SIgA levels drop as happens when we experience chronic stress, the gut becomes much less functional. Chronic stress involves elevations of cortisol, and cortisol plays a big role in disturbing our sleep, our immune system, and especially our digestion. High stress that elevates cortisol can come from chronic illness, athletic overtraining, restrictive and imbalanced diets, and pyschological stressors at home or at work.

Regardless of what is causing the cortisol to rise, the effect on the gut is always the same! Cortisol INHIBITS the production of SIgA which weakens our mucosal defenses, leading to leaky gut symptoms. In addition, chronic stress forces blood into our muscles and away from our gut wall, leading to even more gut-barrier dysfunction. This blood flow problem can become so bad that ulcers may develop in the stomach and areas of the intestine may be damaged by hypoxia. If that weren’t enough, stress also changes how blood flows to the skin. We know that the same stress hormones which reduce blood flow to the gut also reduce blood circulation to the skin. This can show up as Raynaud’s syndrome or other chronic blood flow problems which are all side effects of excess catecholamines in the system.

While this information may be a lot to take in, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The take home message is that stress hurts our gut and our digestion. We all know that. And this is made worse with SNPs for IgA. People with IgA genes will be the first to feel digestive upset, pain and discomfort in response to stress. In these individuals especially it is important to keep excess stress under control so the gut can do its job. Regardless of your genes, lowering stress and managing cortisol levels appropriately (too big of an idea to include in this post) will greatly improve digestion. Leaky gut is a big deal and people with high cortisol, high stress, and the related SNPs (MAO, COMT, IgA, ACE…) need to be extra diligent and careful.

Click to expand...

Information found in a 2014 study showed that when mitochondria were injured and mitochondria DNA damage occurred, free radicals (ROS) were released. This damage caused a massive release of MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases). High levels of MMPs are hallmark of osteoarthritis progression.

Click to expand...

Helicobacter pylori colonized the stomach since an immemorial time, as if both the stomach and the bacterium used to live together in peace harmless to each other. H. pylori could migrate or get forced to migrate to the colon; antibiotics are seldom effective against extra-gastric H. pylori strains. The association of H. pylori and some cardiovascular diseases like myocarditis and cardiomyopaty has been sufficiently mentioned in literature. The role played by the increased mucosal production of inflammatory mediators (cytokines) induced by H. pylori among patients with ischemic heart diseases has been also clearly illustrated. The clinical association of gastritis and carditis is controversial. Active lymphocytic myocarditis manifested by intractable ventricular tachycardia, non-specific intra-ventricular block, and myocardial dysfunction has been described in a young woman infected with H. pylori; an immune influence has been emphasized in that patient as a possible etiology behind the development of autoimmune myocarditis. It has been reported also in literature that a possible role of autoimmunity induced by H. pylori in cardiomyopathy cannot be excluded.

Click to expand...

An infection can change your personality --there's plenty of proof
Infections can alter behavior --here's the proof. Post published by Pamela Weintraub on Mar 30, 2009 in Emerging Diseases

In the past couple of weeks I've posted about the debate over Lyme disease as a trigger for violence. Can microbes and immune reactions to them actually contribute to cognitive decline, degenerative neurological disease, developmental disabilities, mental illness, personality changes and, at the most extreme, even violent and criminal behavior?

Here to weigh in with some evidence is psychiatrist Robert Bransfield, an expert on the psychiatric manifestions of Lyme disease and founder of the mailing list, Microbes and Mental Illness, where the discussions on such topics are held.

"There are several thousand peer-reviewed references demonstrating the association between infections and mental symptoms and at least 65 different microbes have been recognized as causing mental symptoms," Bransfield writes. "Over two hundred peer-reviewed articles describe the causal association between Lyme/tick-borne diseases and mental symptoms, pathophysiology, morbidity and mortality. Attempted suicide and completed suicide associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations of Lyme disease and other tick-borne disease has been observed and reported by many other clinicians and myself."

Bransfield's work has focussed, in part, on infection and aggresion. "Although most patients with Lyme/tick-borne disease do not become violent, a small percent of patients who become infected develop a type of neurological dysfunction that can increase their risk of aggressiveness. In working with a number of patients with Lyme/tick-borne diseases it is apparent to many clinicians these conditions can cause reduced frustration tolerance, irritability, depression, cognitive impairments and mood swings, but more significantly, in a few patients, suicidal and aggressive tendencies."

For the doubters on the issue, Bransfield refers to his own website, Mental Health and Illness (http://www.mentalhealthandillness.com/), and has provided peer-reviewed publications that offer not just theory but also nuance, complexity, and proof. With his permission, I list some of those, below.-- Pamela Weintraub (author of Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic (link is external) and senior editor at Discover Magazine.)

Microbes and mental illness: The evidence in black and white

{Lots of source material - see original article}

Click to expand...

Endosymbiont
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An endosymbiont is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism, i.e. forming an endosymbiosis (Greek: ἔνδον endon "within", σύν syn "together" and βίωσις biosis "living"). Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria (called rhizobia), which live in root nodules on legume roots, single-cell algae inside reef-building corals, and bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients to about 10–15% of insects.

Many instances of endosymbiosis are obligate; that is, either the endosymbiont or the host cannot survive without the other, such as the gutless marine worms of the genus Riftia, which get nutrition from their endosymbiotic bacteria. The most common examples of obligate endosymbioses are mitochondria and chloroplasts. Some human parasites, e.g. Wuchereria bancrofti and Mansonella perstans, thrive in their intermediate insect hosts because of an obligate endosymbiosis with Wolbachia spp. They can both be eliminated from said hosts by treatments that target this bacterium. However, not all endosymbioses are obligate. Also, some endosymbioses can be harmful to either of the organisms involved.

It is generally agreed that certain organelles of the eukaryotic cell, especially mitochondria and plastids such as chloroplasts, originated as bacterial endosymbionts. This theory is called the endosymbiotic theory, and was first articulated by the Russian botanist Konstantin Mereschkowski in 1910,[1] even though the first paper that referenced this theory was published in 1905.[2]

[..]

Viral endosymbionts and endogenous retrovirus[edit]
Main article: Endogenous retrovirus
During pregnancy in viviparous mammals, endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are activated and produced in high quantities during the implantation of the embryo. On one hand, they act as immunodepressors, and protect the embryo from the immune system of the mother, and on the other hand viral fusion proteins cause the formation of the placental syncytium in order to limit the exchange of migratory cells between the developing embryo and the body of the mother, where an epithelium will not be adequate because certain blood cells are specialized to be able to insert themselves between adjacent epithelial cells. The ERV is a virus similar to HIV (the virus causing AIDS in humans). The immunodepressive action was the initial normal behavior of the virus, similar to HIV. The fusion proteins was a way to spread the infection to other cells by simply merging them with the infected one (similar to HIV). It is believed that the ancestors of modern viviparous mammals evolved after an accidental infection of an ancestor with this virus, which permitted the fetus to survive the immune system of the mother.[9]

The human genome project found several thousand ERVs, which are organized into 24 families.[10]

Click to expand...

Wolbachia: master manipulators of invertebrate biology.

Abstract
Wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are found in arthropods and nematodes. These alphaproteobacteria endosymbionts are transmitted vertically through host eggs and alter host biology in diverse ways, including the induction of reproductive manipulations, such as feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and sperm-egg incompatibility. They can also move horizontally across species boundaries, resulting in a widespread and global distribution in diverse invertebrate hosts. Here, we review the basic biology of Wolbachia, with emphasis on recent advances in our understanding of these fascinating endosymbionts.

Click to expand...

Mycoplasma genitalium: Arthritis, chronic nongonococcal urethritis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, other urogenital infections and diseases, infertility, AIDS/HIV

Mycoplasma fermentans: Arthritis, Gulf War Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, AIDS/HIV, autoimmune diseases, ALS, psoriasis and Scleroderma, Crohn's and IBS, cancer, endocrine disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, diabetes

Mycoplasma salivarium: Arthritis, TMJ disorders, Eye and ear disorders and infections, gingivitis, periodontal diseases including even cavities.

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum: Pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, non-gonococcal urethritis, vaginitis, cervicitis, amnionitis, pyelonephritis, post-partum septicemia, neonatal pneumonia, neonatal conjunctivitis, Reiter's syndrome, peritonitis, wound infections (C-section), low birth weight infants, and premature rupture of membranes.

Mycoplasma pneumonia: Pneumonia, asthma, upper and lower respiratory diseases, heart diseases, leukemia, Steven-Johnson syndrome, polyarthritis or septic arthritis, CNS disorders and diseases, urinary tract infections, Crohn's and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Guillain-Barr syndrome, polyradiculitis, encephalitis, and septic meningitis, autoimmune diseases.

Mycoplasma incognitus and Mycoplasma penetrans: AIDS/HIV, urogenital infections and diseases, Autoimmune disorders and diseases

Mycoplasma pirum: Urogenital infections and diseases, AIDS/HIV

Mycoplasma faucium, M. lipophilum and M. buccale: Diseases of the gingival crevices and respiratory tract

Click to expand...

Laura said:

I was reading the attached paper and he discusses the cases where one has to keep after the darn things for up to a year.

Click to expand...

Leslie Taylor said:

Regardless, many physicians and rheumatologists are treating their arthritis, CFISD, fibromyalgia and other mycoplasma infections with long term antibiotic therapy. One of the more popular conventional protocols involves rotating multiple 6 week cycles of Minocycline or Doxycycline (200-300 mg/day), Ciprofloxacin (1,500 mg/day), Azithromycin (250-500 mg/day, and/or Clarithromycin (750-1,000 mg/day) among others. Sometimes the side effects of these strong antibiotics can be as bad as the symptoms of the diseases they are treating since a minimum of 6 months and up to two years of antibiotic therapy may be required. Many doctors now believe that antibiotics should not be used solely or exclusively to treat mycoplasmal infections, without addressing rebuilding the immune system which is imperative for a complete recovery and eradication of infection. Others are using more natural antibiotics found in plants which can be as effective or more effective with fewer side effects or negative impact on the body. These include olive leaf extract products, urva ursi, and Neem leaf or seed extracts.

Click to expand...

Feel Good Nutrigenomics (pp. 51-52) said:

I see complex health conditions as multifactorial in nature. That means that while your nutrigenomics are a piece of the puzzle they are not the whole picture. The environmental burden of toxins you are exposed to, along with infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, fungal infections, yeast) and the stress on your system all impact your overall health.

I believe that most health conditions in society today are multifactorial conditions, meaning that a number of circumstances need to go awry simultaneously for nonideal health to manifest. Multifactorial conditions stem from underlying genetic susceptibility combined with assaults from environmental stressors and infectious agents. Basic parameters like age and gender along with other genetic and environmental factors play a role in the onset of non-ideal health. Infections combined with excessive environmental burdens will generally only lead to serious problems with health if they occur in individuals with the appropriate genetic susceptibility.

Personalized nutrigenomic screening is one clear, definitive way to evaluate the genetic contribution of multifactorial conditions. Part of what makes the Methylation Cycle so unique and so critical for our health is that mutations in this pathway have the capability to impair all of these factors. This would suggest that if an individual has enough mutations or weaknesses in this pathway, it may be sufficient to cause multifactorial health issues. Methylation Cycle mutations can lead to chronic infectious diseases, increased environmental toxin burdens and have secondary effects on the expression of other genes.

Click to expand...

Shijing said:

Yasko is a pioneer in this field (to the point of being something of a savant in terms of understanding methylation pathways), and she proposes a tripartite model of genetic polymorphisms, environmental toxins, and chronic infections (the latter of which is relevant to this thread). I'd recommend taking a look at the information on her site:

http://www.dramyyasko.com/

Click to expand...

Keit said:

Well, actually, maybe you could try the low-dose doxycycline therapy? Recently Laura mentioned it again here, and there is a link to a protocol on some other thread on the forum. The main point it, that you use very small dosage and for a year or so. And since Chlamydia is susceptible to tetracycline, maybe it may work.

Click to expand...