Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA sequences are present in aged normal and Alzheimer's disease brain but absent in lymphocytes

G A Jamieson; N J Maitland; R F Itzhaki

doi:10.1016/s0167-4943(05)80019-6

Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA sequences are present in aged normal and Alzheimer's disease brain but absent in lymphocytes

Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 1992:15 Suppl 1:197-201. doi: 10.1016/s0167-4943(05)80019-6.

Authors

G A Jamieson¹, N J Maitland, R F Itzhaki

Affiliation

¹ Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK.

PMID: 18647689
DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4943(05)80019-6

Abstract

The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unknown. Viruses have been suggested as a possible factor but the issue is still unresolved. We have detected herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA sequences in AD and normal brain, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and have now searched for the DNA in lymphocytes from AD patients and age-matched normal individuals; PCR shows that the virus is absent in the lymphocytes.