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Isolating Central Nervous System Tissues and Associated Meninges for the Downstream Analysis of Immune cells
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Published on: May 19, 2020

Multiple sclerosis: an infectious syndrome involving Chlamydophila pneumoniae

Charles W Stratton1, David B Wheldon

  • 1Department of Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. charles.stratton@vanderbilt.edu

Trends in Microbiology
|September 26, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may stem from oligodendrocyte infection, not autoimmunity. Pathogen like Chlamydophila pneumoniae could trigger inflammation and disease progression in some patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neuropathology

Background:

  • The autoimmune basis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is questioned.
  • Vasculitis occurs in MS lesions and normal-appearing white matter.
  • Oligodendrocyte death precedes myelin removal in acute MS relapses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose an alternative hypothesis for MS pathology.
  • To explore the role of infectious agents, specifically Chlamydophila pneumoniae, in MS.
  • To discuss mechanisms linking cryptic infections to MS disease patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on MS pathology and associated infections.
  • Analysis of pathological findings in MS brain tissue.
  • Hypothetical modeling of infectious triggers for MS.

Main Results:

  • Oligodendrocyte death appears to be a primary event in acute MS.
  • Inflammatory myelin removal seems secondary to oligodendrocyte injury.
  • Chlamydophila pneumoniae is a potential candidate pathogen implicated in MS.

Conclusions:

  • MS may be an infectious syndrome in a subset of patients.
  • Oligodendrocyte infection could initiate the inflammatory cascade in MS.
  • Cryptic infections may explain the diverse clinical patterns observed in MS.

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