TITLE:
Detection of Mycoplasmas in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
AUTHORS:
Constantino Gil, Alma Aurora Sánchez González, Isidro Lecona León, Antonio Rivera, Rayo Santellán Olea, Lilia Cedillo
KEYWORDS:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Mycoplasmas, Immune Response
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.11,
September
5,
2014
ABSTRACT: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degenerative
disease of the motor neurons and the cause is unknown. Diverse factors such as
genetic defects, nutritional deficiencies, head trauma, environmental toxin,
autoimmune responses and viral and bacterial infections are involved. Mycoplasmas
have been implicated as causal agents of different illnesses in human. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of mycoplasmas in
the bloodstream of patients with ALS. Patients with ALS and healthy individuals
were included in the study. A blood sample was taken in tubes with or without
anticoagulant. Mycoplasmas were detected by culture or direct PCR, and the
presence of antibodies IgM and IgG against LAMPs of these microorganisms by
Western blot. Cultures for aerobic facultative bacteria were also done. Blood samples
from 13 patients and 44 healthy individuals were screened. All blood cultures
for non-fermentative mycoplasmas and aerobic facultative bacteria were
negative. Cultures for fermentative mycoplasmas were considered positive after
identification of mycoplasmal DNA by PCR. Mycoplasma sp. was detected by culture or
direct PCR in 6/13 (46%) patients and in 4/44 (9%) of healthy individuals. M. fermentans was detected by PCR using
specific primers in six patients and in two healthy individuals. IgM against
LAMPs of M. fermentans were detected
in 6/13 (46%) blood samples from patients and in 13/44 (30%) from healthy
individuals, while. IgG was detected in 4/13 (31%) patients and in 3/44 (7%)
healthy individuals. The results of this study show that mycoplasmas cause a
systemic infection and could play a role in the origin or progression of the
ALS.