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Common Pneumonia Bacterium May Fuel Alzheimer's Disease Progression
Key Takeaways
- Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the brain and retina, persisting for years
- The bacterium triggers chronic inflammation and amyloid-beta accumulation — Alzheimer's hallmarks
- Alzheimer's patients showed significantly higher bacterial levels than cognitively normal individuals
- APOE4 gene carriers had elevated bacterial levels, suggesting gene-infection interaction
- Retinal imaging could enable noninvasive, early Alzheimer's risk screening
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DT Editorial Team··6 min read·via sciencedaily.com