title: Fungal infection in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to dementia mainly among the elderly. This disease is characterized by the presence in the brain of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that provoke neuronal cell death, vascular dysfunction, and inflammatory processes. In the present work, we have analyzed the existence of fungal infection in Alzheimer's disease patients. A proteomic analysis provides compelling evidence for the existence of fungal proteins in brain samples from Alzheimer's disease patients. Furthermore, PCR analysis reveals a variety of fungal species in these samples, dependent on the patient and the tissue tested. DNA sequencing demonstrated that several fungal species can be found in brain samples. Together, these results show that fungal macromolecules can be detected in brain from Alzheimer's disease patients. To our knowledge these findings represent the first evidence that fungal infection is detectable in brain samples from Alzheimer's disease patients. The possibility that this may represent a risk factor or may contribute to the etiological cause of Alzheimer's disease is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM, C/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM, C/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pisa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM, C/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Marina
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM, C/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morato
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology and Tissue Bank, Unidad de Investigación Proyecto Alzheimer, Fundación CIEN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rábano
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM, C/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carrasco
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D020314:Central Nervous System Fungal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008291:Malate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008578:Meninges / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins; D014404:Tubulin; D008291:Malate Dehydrogenase
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; brain proteomics; fungal DNA; fungal PCR; fungal infection