A common bacteria that causes sinus infections and pneumonia may increase the risk of Alzheimer's.
The recent study was published in Nature Communications. Retinal tissue from 104 people with cognitive function ranging from healthy to mild impairment to Alzheimer's disease was studied by researchers. Researchers used various methods to evaluate levels of the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae within the retinal tissue.
Previous research had established that Chlamydia pneumoniae had been found in brains of individuals who had Alzheimer's. Researchers wanted to determine if the bacteria was also present in the retina.
Study results revealed that the retinal tissue from people with Alzheimer's had much higher levels of Chlamydia pneumoniae when compared to the individuals with healthy cognition. Those with the most severe cognitive decline also had the higher bacteria levels.
Researchers hope that the study findings may help in developing non-invasive retinal imaging that can detect infection-associated inflammatory stress as a risk assessment tool to complement blood and brain biomarkers. Larger studies will be needed to determine Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and clinical trajectories.
