Re: Mycoplasma pneumonia Question?

[Guest guest]

Alternative Medicine 2001; September: 60-70.

Mycoplasmas:

The Missing Link in Fatiguing Illnesses

_Report #3 - www.immed.org_

(http://www.immed.org/reports/infectious_disease_illness/Alt.Med.Sept2001Mycopla\

smas.html)

_http://www.immed.org/reports/infectious_disease_illness/Alt.Med.Sept2001Mycop

lasmas.html_

(http://www.immed.org/reports/infectious_disease_illness/Alt.Med.Sept2001Mycopla\

smas.html)

by Guthrie, R.Ph.

These mysterious microorganisms can play a major role in a wide range of

diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia

syndromes, multiple sclerosis, Gulf War Illness, Crohn's disease and other

inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes and even aggressive cancers. Without

proper

diagnosis and treatment of mycoplasma infections, curing these conditions can

be

difficult or impossible.

____________________________________

Staff Sergeant Sharron Nicolson, Crew Chief of an Army Blackhawk helicopter,

was happy to see everyone return safely from their last deep mission into

Iraqi territory. She and her unit would soon join the thousands of U.S.

military personnel headed home from the Gulf War, and Sharron was looking

forward to

finishing her pilot training. But shortly after returning to the U.S. in

1991, Sharron began experiencing constant fatigue, muscle and joint pain and

other debilitating symptoms similar to those associated with Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (CFS). She found it impossible to meet the demands of flight school

and

sadly realized her dream of a flying career was over.

When routine medical tests revealed no answers, Sharron started looking for

more help. At the time, she was unaware that over 50,000 soldiers had

returned from the Gulf War with similar symptoms. (This number has now grown to

over

100,000.) Fortunately, Sharron had the advantage of being the daughter of

two top researchers in molecular and cellular biology: Drs. Garth L. and

L. Nicolson.

At the time of Sharron's return home in the early 1990s, Garth Nicolson,

Ph.D., was an esteemed researcher and academic, holding the Bruton Jr.

Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Texas M. D. Cancer

Center. Nicolson, Ph.D., a former instructor in the Department of

Immunology

and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, was also a world-renowned

molecular biologist. The Nicolsons were compelled into action on behalf of

their

stepdaughter and other veterans whose disabling symptoms were being

misdiagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder and/or other conditions.

The Nicolsons realized that Sharron was experiencing similar symptoms to

what had experienced years earlier. The cause of 's pain and fatigue

had finally been diagnosed as an infection of invasive mycoplasmas. The

Nicolsons knew these little-known microscopic masters of hide-and-seek were

generally responsive to certain antibiotics. They recommended that Sharron be

placed on a course of doxycycline therapy, and she dramatically improved.

Word spread and members of other Airborne and Special Forces Units who had

similar symptoms began asking for assistance. The Nicolsons, anxious to help,

began researching what soon became known as Gulf War Illness (GWI). However,

it didn't take long for them to realize that there was a significant overlap

in the symptoms of GWI, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), also known as Chronic

Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS),

and other conditions that fall under the umbrella term of " fatiguing

illnesses. "

Mysterious Parasites

Mycoplasmas are the smallest self-replicating organisms known to science.

Viruses are even smaller, but they lack the genetic machinery to

self-replicate. There are hundreds of types of mycoplasmas that can be found in

plants,

insects and animals, but only a few can be found in the blood and tissues

throughout the human body. Not all mycoplasmas found in humans are pathogenic

(disease-causing).

Mycoplasmas have among the simplest genomes among bacteria. The best-known

pathogenic mycoplasma, M. pneumoniae, the cause of " walking pneumonia, "

contains only 677 protein-coding gene sequences (by comparison, E. coli

contains

about 4,000). Mycoplasmas do not contain the genes needed for amino and fatty

acid and vitamin synthesis, thus they need to steal certain amino acids, fats,

vitamins and other nutrients from host cells in order to survive. Simply

put, they are parasitic bacteria. Garth Nicolson, now of the Institute for

Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach, California, explains, " Once in the

cell,

they steal lipids (fats) like cholesterol from the mitochondria, the

components of a cell that produces energy. This makes the mitochondria 'leaky,'

and

they lose electrons. This is similar to a battery running down when the

insulation around the battery is removed. This may be why patients with

intracellular pathogenic mycoplasmas are almost always fatigued. They have run

their

cellular batteries down, so that less high energy molecules are available, and

they are exhausted at the cellular level. "

Immune Disruption

Mycoplasmas can also disrupt the normal orchestration and organization of

the host's immune system. They can cause lymphocytes (white blood cells that

bear the major responsibility of the immune system) to secrete inflammatory

cytokines (proteins that facilitate cell-to-cell communication), which leads to

swelling, inflammation and either stimulation or suppression of the immune

system.

Because pathogenic mycoplasmas leaving a cell they have infected can

incorporate much of the host's cell surface material into their own surface

structure, they can instigate an autoimmune response in which the immune system

starts attacking the host's own cells, a process that can result in severe

tissue

damage and pain. Meanwhile, the mycoplasmas evade the immune system by hiding

inside host cells or fusing with the cellular membrane of the host cells.

Certain pathogenic mycoplasmas can also invade lymphocytes and disrupt their

functioning without provoking an immune response. Using a trick known as

" molecular mimicry, " mycoplasmas can even closely resemble host structures to

fool

the immune system into thinking that they are normal host cells.

After invading host cells, mycoplasmas can trigger the release of " reactive

oxygen " free radicals that modify the RNA and DNA of the cells, an event that

can eventually leading to malignant transformation. This phenomenon has been

observed in a laboratory study in which benign (non-cancerous) cells

infected by mycoplasmas became irreversibly malignant (cancerous) after 18 cell

divisions. Dr. Nicolson has been working with two colleagues, Drs. Darryl See

and

Ferre Akbarpour, of the Immune Institute in Huntington Beach, California.

Their research has found that nearly 90% of certain late-stage cancer patients

show infection with pathogenic mycoplasmas. These mycoplasmas appear to drive

the progression of cancer cells, making them more malignant and metastatic

(capable of spreading throughout the body).

Mycoplasmas can also invade the lining of blood vessels, where they appear

to facilitate the release of biochemicals that can cause vasculitis

(inflammation of blood vessels due to infection) and the formation of plaque

inside

blood vessel wall surfaces.

Smart and Slinky

Mycoplasmas are well equipped to play biological slight of hand, appearing

then disappearing, changing shape, shuffling their surface components, ducking

into cells, then parading as normal citizens of the human flora dressed in

clothes stolen from the cells they invaded. They're elusive because they are

pleomorphic (structurally changing). They do not have rigid cell walls like

most bacteria; instead they possess fluid lipid outer surfaces, and like tiny

jellyfish, they can squeeze, bend and move into tight spaces. They can also

slide right through laboratory and hospital filters used to produce or maintain

sterility- making them one of the most common contaminants in diagnostic

laboratories and vaccine manufacturing. In one recent study of vaccines,

mycoplasmas were found to contaminate about 6% of commercial vaccines.

These microorganisms have been quite successful in adapting to many

environments; infecting everything from insects to elephants, plants to people.

Generally speaking, they are species-specific, but there appears to be many

exceptions. Garth Nicolson relates more than one case in which the pets of GWI

or

CFS patients were exhibiting similar symptoms as their owners, and then tested

positive for the same mycoplasmas. No one knows for sure how contagious

mycoplasmas are, but it appears that transmission may occur among infected

people

in close proximity for extended periods of time. Of course, not everyone who

is exposed becomes sick. For example, when Nicolson studied Gulf War

veterans' families who became sick with symptoms similar to GWI, he found that

not

every member of the family became sick, but those that did become ill had the

same infection as found in the sick veteran.

Detecting Mycoplasmas

When the Nicolsons began to explore the connection between GWI and

mycoplasma, they first had to figure out how to screen people with GWI signs

and

symptoms for the presence of these pathogens. This was easier said than done.

Since mycoplasmas are extremely small, change shape and lack rigid and

distinctive cell walls, they're impossible to find using conventional

microbiology

techniques. They won't grow in a standard culture medium, and they are not

usually revealed by standard tests that look for antibodies (proteins made by a

white blood cell as a primary defense against foreign substances). Some people

do show antibody responses to certain mycoplasmas, but antibody tests are

still not specific enough to make a diagnosis.

Using a technique called nucleoprotein gene tracking developed by the

Nicolsons they were able to identify mycoplasma genetic elements in white blood

cells of GWI patients. However, conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

tests performed by Army pathologists did not confirm the presence of mycoplasma

DNA. Eventually, the Nicolsons developed a new PCR test based on techniques

used by forensic pathologists to test for DNA from crime scenes. This test

revealed that over 40% of the GWI patients were positive for " invasive "

mycoplasmas (not mycoplasma in superficial sites such as nose, throat and

genitourinary tract).

The Nicolsons found mycoplasmas, especially M. fermentans, inside tissues

and in certain white blood cells-the very cells that are normally involved in

the destruction of pathogenic invaders. " Mycoplasmas are not found

systemically in most normal subjects-only a few percent of asymptomatic

subjects have

evidence of mycoplasma in their blood. I don't consider oral mycoplasma, or

mycoplasma at other superficial sites to be evidence of an infection. It is

more

likely simple bacterial colonization, and unless these mycoplasma invade the

epithelial cell layer (a thin layer of tissue that covers a surface or lines

a cavity), they are probably benign nonpathogenic residents, " explains Garth

Nicolson.

The researchers' results were significant and published in several journals.

Other investigators, especially those working with Gulf War Vets, were able

to duplicate the results, but the Nicolson's work was largely dismissed or

ignored by the Department of Defense. However, in February 2000, psychiatrist

Lt. Col. Engel, M.D., director of the Gulf War Illness Center at

Walter Army Medical Center, presented pivotal information to a Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) coordinating board at the National Institutes of Health

(NIH). A study conducted independently for the U.S. Departments of Defense and

Veterans' Affairs demonstrated that approximately 40% of more than 1,600 GWI

patients were positive for mycoplasma infections, and 80% of those were

positive for M. fermentans. Lt. Col. Engel also stated that he felt that these

infections might also be an important cause of CFS. The study findings nearly

duplicated the figures that the Nicolsons had reported earlier: 45% positive

for

mycoplasma; 80% with M. fermentans. Currently, other prominent researchers

are corroborating the role of mycoplasmas in disease. The number of known

conditions in which mycoplasmas play a role is growing, thanks to advances in

detection. Mycoplasmas are now said to be contributors, or at least cofactors,

in

many conditions, including CFS/CFIDS, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), lupus,

multiple sclerosis (MS), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), psoriasis,

scleroderma, Crohn's disease, solid cancers, leukemia, lymphoma, pelvic

inflammatory disease (PID), asthma, atypical pneumonia, Sjogren's syndrome,

interstitial

cystitis and Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. Mycoplasmas have also

been associated with autoimmune diseases that can cause definite changes in

nerve conduction, demyelation (a degenerative process that erodes away the

myelin sheath that normally protects nerve fibers) and sensitivity.

Dr. Garth Nicolson says that the role of mycoplasmas in various illnesses

and diseases is now gradually being accepted, especially in those once

long-suspected as being " psychological. " Acceptance is due to the recognition

that

symptoms cannot be explained solely by psychological criteria and because

discrete clinical markers have been discovered. For example, the vasculitis

(inflammation of blood vessels) found in mycoplasma-positive patients

correlates

with evidence of mycoplasma-induced abnormalities in blood cells and proteins

related to blood clotting.

Current Mycoplasma Research

Recently, Garth Nicolson has focused on various autoimmune neurological

diseases such as ALS, MS, Lyme disease and others. For example, in ALS

(commonly

known as Lou Gehrig's disease) patients, approximately 85% are positive for

systemic mycoplasma infections, and most of these involve M. fermentans and/or

M. hominis.

Dr. Nicolson is working closely with Drs. See and Akbarpour on ALS, a

condition in which patients lose control of their motor and skeletal muscles

over a

period of two to five years. Their research revealed that almost all ALS

patients have co-infections with a virus from the enterovirus family (a virus

related to the polio virus that replicates mostly in the gastrointestinal

tract) and mycoplasmas. The three doctors have been conducting a clinical

treatment study of ALS utilizing antibiotics, antivirals and nerve growth

factors.

They are seeing positive results so far, as measured by increases in muscle

strength.

Other illnesses often have multiple strains of mycoplasmas, or mycoplasmas

combined with co-infections of other bacteria or viruses. " In recent published

studies from our laboratory, most CFS and FMS patients had multiple

mycoplasmal infections in their blood. The number of different mycoplasmal

species in

these patients increased with the number of years the patients were sick and

with the severity of their illness, " says Dr. Nicolson.

" We have found that when the few asymptomatic subjects have blood

mycoplasmal infections, they have only one species, versus when we examine

patients who

are sick with various chronic illnesses, they usually have multiple species

of mycoplasmas and other infections such as the viruses HHV-6 or CMV. In Lyme

disease, we often find mycoplasmal co-infections, most frequently, M.

fermentans, along with the Borrelia that causes it. This makes sense when you

consider that insects, such as the ticks that carry the Borrelia, also can

carry

mycoplasmas. Dr. Eli Mordechai of Medical Diagnostics Lab of New Jersey has

exactly the same findings in Lyme disease patients. "

All the researchers above agree that long-term antibiotics must be initiated

to treat mycoplasmal infections. Additional strategies must be applied to

protect and strengthen the immune system and provide essential nutrients and

vitamins. " We always try to use the least toxic approaches in working with

pathologies, so we use a lot of natural products, " Dr. See says. For example,

probiotics and non-denatured whey protein isolates are used to support the GI

tract-a combination that helps prevent overgrowth of undesirable

microorganisms. " However, " adds Dr. See, " in our experience, and in the

literature, we have

found no other way to deal with mycoplasmas than fairly long-term treatment

with certain antibiotics. " Fortunately, the Nicolsons and their colleagues

have succeeded in helping many veterans and others infected with mycoplasmas,

but controversies surrounding their work and these mysterious microorganisms

still persist.

Says Dr. Nicolson " Future efforts to explain and treat a variety of chronic

illnesses that currently have unknown etiologies (causes) will undoubtedly

focus more on chronic infections as underlying causes or as opportunistic

infections in immune impaired patients. We have found that chronic infections

caused by mycoplasmas, viruses and other microorganisms cannot be ignored,

because these patients will remain ill and not recover from their illnesses if

these infections remain untreated. "

Diagnostic Testing for Pathogenic Mycoplasmas

So what do you do if your suspect you are infected with mycoplasmas? You

should be tested by a certified clinical laboratory equipped with the

specialized molecular tests to find pathogenic mycoplasmas. You should also be

tested

for other organisms, i.e., bacteria and viruses, associated with these chronic

diseases. The Nicolson have developed a battery of tests for patients

suffering with the diseases mentioned in this article. These tests must be

ordered

by your physician. The Nicolson maintain two websites. The website for the

certified reference laboratory, International Molecular Diagnostics is

_www.imd-lab.com_ (http://www.imd-lab.com/) ; telephone number 714-799-7177.

The

Institute for Molecular Medicine website is _www.immed.org_

(http://www.immed.org/) . Here you will find publications and documents on CFS,

FMS, autoimmune

diseases and other chronic illnesses. Immediate fax-back information is availa

ble 24 hours a day by calling 714-903-2900.

Contact:

Additional information on mycoplasma treatment, yeast overgrowth, nutrition

and treating multiple infections associated with mycoplasmas can be found on

the Institute for Molecular Medicine's website (www.immed.org).

About the Author:

Guthrie R.Ph. is a clinical pharmacist with hospital, business and

residential experience, who began researching scientifically validated

integrative medical approaches. For the last few years, he has worked as a

free-lance medical writer and consultant involved in the development of print,

web and

video for the integrative-medical community.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Sorry it took me so long to reply. I don't know anything about the pneumonia

part of the Mycoplasma, but I did test positive for Mycoplasma, it is a

co-infection, and I am doing well w/Ketek. The doc has been trying to get me to

cut it back to 1/day as many of his patients do well on that, but I regress if I

cut it back so we are keeping me on 2 for now. I hope that helps!

Jeannie

highlandave98 <seanmiller1@...> wrote:

If i tested postive for Mycoplasma pneumonia antibodies (that was the

only Mycoplasma) is that considered a co-infection or could that be

just a pneumonia that I had when I was younger and I got from other

people and I have the antibodies for it for life. If it is a co-

infection what is the right ABX treatment for it.

Thanks

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Hi Dave

I think it is a co-infection. There is a group called Mycoplasma

Registry with lots of info about mycoplasma infections. Also checkout

Garth Nicolson's work - he is a mycoplasma expert.

The Institute of Molecular Medicine

http://www.immed.org/

Regards

Lara

>

> If i tested postive for Mycoplasma pneumonia antibodies (that was the

> only Mycoplasma) is that considered a co-infection or could that be

> just a pneumonia that I had when I was younger and I got from other

> people and I have the antibodies for it for life. If it is a co-

> infection what is the right ABX treatment for it.

>

> Thanks

>