Down Syndrome & viruses

[Guest guest]

I came across these sitings while looking for something else. Are there any studies using of anti-virals with Trisomy 21. Does anyone on this group have a child with DS who has successfully used antivirals (either prescription or naturals)?

Thank you,

_I HH

,___ A number of other intriguing lines of

research were pursued. Post-mortem

brains of Down's syndrome patients, who eventually develop dementia, were examined for the presence of

herpes viruses. HSV1, HSV2 and

CMV were only detected with low frequency, but HHV6 was found in 96

per cent of Down's syndrome brains, compared to only 52 per cent of

normal brains.

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE), a

rare but severe neurological disease

caused by HSV1, also involves a

genetic susceptibility related to the

APOE gene. Examination of the DNA

of HSE patients and normal controls

The peripheral and central nervous system are harbouring herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and this virus has been proposed to be implicated in the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We tested whether the HSV-1 genome is found indeed in the brain of controls, patients with AD and Down syndrome (DS) and whether HSV-1 infectious proteins in brain were induced. Moreover, we tested whether interleukin (IL)-6, a marker for neuroinflammation, is found in brains of AD and DS. HSV-1 glycoprotein D gene, as well as viral phosphoprotein and glycoprotein were detected in all brain samples. IL-6 was detectable in seven out of the eight AD and all of the eight DS patients, but only three out of ten controls in the frontal cortex. IL-6 in cerebellum was detectable in all AD and DS patients, but only three out of nine controls. In conclusion, we propose that the detection of HSV-1 genome and HSV-1 inducible protein IL-6 not only shows the presence in human brain, but may indicate a role for HSV-1 in the process of neuroinflammation and apoptosis, known to occur in both neurodegenerative disorders, AD and DS.

Lymphocyte responsiveness to phytohaemagglutinin and viral antigens was studied in children with Down's syndrome and in controls. Mitogen-responsiveness in the patients was significantly reduced as compared to the control values. Using the lymphocyte transformation test, trisomic patients showed more than a twofold increase in sensitivity to herpes simplex virus as compared to controls. The same test did not show any essential difference between the two groups when adeno- and influenza viruses were used. Immunofluorescence technique, with specifically conjugated antiviral sera, permitted the detection of specific fluorescence in 30% of the patients with Down's syndrome indicating the presence of oncogenic adenovirus type 12 antigen in the circulating lymphocytes. No antibodies—or only very low titres—against adeno- and herpes simplex viruses were demonstrated in the sera of trisomic patients. Mononuclear leukocytes from these patients often showed structural alterations. The incidence of infectious herpes simplex virus and Candida albicans in the saliva of patients was higher than in the control group. It seems that Down's syndrome involves partial disturbance of both the cellular and humoral immune functions—at least with respect to certain viral antigens