The same bacteria that causes gum disease may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and aspiration pneumonia.
In the most damning study of its kind, researchers detected evidence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in brain samples from people with Alzheimer’s and used mice to prove the bacterium can travel from mouth to brain.
“People with genetic risk factors that make them susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis or Alzheimer’s disease should be extremely concerned with preventing gum disease,” said Jan Potempa, Ph.D., professor at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and head of microbiology at Jagiellonian University in Poland.
While previous researchers have noted the presence of P. gingivalis in brain samples from Alzheimer’s patients, Potempa’s team compared brain samples from deceased people with and without Alzheimer’s disease. P. gingivalis was more common in samples from Alzheimer’s patients, evidenced by the DNA fingerprint and toxins known as gingipains.
They also showed the migration of P. gingivalis from the mouth to the brain can be blocked by chemicals.
From the May 1, 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
