Gulf War Syndrome, HIV-AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to Mysterious Infections, Says New Medical Study

FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 29, 4 P.M. EDT:

Contact: Kathryn Serkes (202) 333-3855 www.aapsonline.org, e-mail: kaserkes@worldnet.att.net

Mysterious infections which have gone undetected in the past have now been linked to a number of chronic illnesses, including Gulf War Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and HIV-AIDS. Further, if left untreated, the infections could spread to family members and co-workers.

Those are the findings of a new study published in the current issue of The Medical Sentinel, The Official Journal of The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. Adopting new DNA testing procedures previously used by forensic crime investigators, the study of mycoplasmal infections was conducted a team headed by Dr. Garth L. Nicolson of the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach, California.

In the past, treatment options for patients with these chronic illnesses have been ineffective, and patients rarely recover from their conditions. But now, with identification of mycoplasmal infections with these diseases, Dr. Nicolson concludes that long-term treatment with common antibiotics, combined with nutritional and vitamin support and other immune enhancers, could reduce death rates and help patients regain health.

Dr. Nicolson’s team studied mycoplasms -- mysterious organisms halfway between bacteria and viruses, with characteristics of both. They reproduce slowly, are much smaller than bacteria, but unlike viruses, do respond to some antibiotics. Mycoplasmal infections are often misdiagnosed or not even sought - and because of this, infections often are either untreated or are inappropriately treated. They cannot be detected by the standard bacterial cultures used by most doctors.

Instead, Dr. Nicolson employed a DNA analysis technique called Forensic Polymerase Chain Reaction to detect the presence of the mycoplasm germs in patients’ blood cells. The study found that people with chronic illnesses were more than 7 times more likely to have mycoplasmal infections compared to healthy subjects. In one test group of 203 patients diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), 70% showed signs of mycoplasm DNA in their bloodstreams, compared to only 9% of healthy subjects in the control group. In the second test group of 200 Gulf War Syndrome patients, 45% tested positive for mycoplasms, while the control group of healthy subjects tested at the rate of less than 6%.

The results of the study and treatment recommendations could have important ramifications for HIV-AIDS patients. While the study did not examine patients with HIV-AIDS, mycoplasmal infections have attracted attention as a major cause of death in AIDS patients. Other studies have found that mycoplasmas may accelerate AIDS patients’ susceptibility to other infections. This study suggests that treatment of mycoplasmal infections could slow down the progression of the disease.

The findings are also important for the families and co-workers of patients with these chronic diseases who may be at risk of contracting the infections. For example, there is compelling evidence that Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) has slowly spread to immediate family members, and to some degree, in the workplace. A survey of 1,200 GWS families indicated that about 77% of spouses and children born after the war had signs and symptoms similar or identical to veterans with GWS.

Dr. Nicolson suspects that mycoplasmal infections may be linked with a number of other chronic diseases, include rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, asthma and inflammatory bowel disease.

NOTE: The full text of the article is posted at www.aapsonline.org.