Evaluation of Role of Herpes Simplex Virus 1-2 and Cytomegalovirus in Alzheimer's Disease

Evaluation of Role of Herpes Simplex Virus 1-2 and Cytomegalovirus in Alzheimer's Disease
Sepideh Khodamoradi,^1,* Mohammad Hassan Shahhosseiny,² Taher Mohammadian,³ Atousa Ferdousi,⁴
1. Department Of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch-Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2. Department Of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch-Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3. Department Of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch-Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
4. Department Of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch-Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was diagnosed over 100 years ago though Alois Alzheimer. Studies reported the pathological signs devastating disease. Different environmental factors, such as infection have cause AD. Herpes Simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), type 2 (HSV2) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) are related to AD in different studies.
Methods: To explore whether carriage of HSV1, HSV2 and CMV, developed the risk of progressing AD, which may prevent and can be used for the treatment of AD. Plasma samples were isolated from 100 AD patient in aseptic conditions (47 women and 53 men). Viral DNA was then isolated for PCR methods. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of extracted DNA were performed by Spectrophotometry and electrophoresis on Agarose gel. Three pairs of primers were used for each virus. The variables and the data were then analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: The results showed that the prevalence's of CMV, HSV-1 and HSV-2 were 27%, 8% and 4%, respectively. Although CMV in AD patients was most prevalence, but HSV1 and HSV2 were found in patients with advanced AD. Also, the HSV1 and HSV2 prevalence's were significantly associated with dysphoria, hallucination, insomnia and depression (P˂0.05), while CMV prevalence was significantly associated with hallucination and dysphoria (P=0.001). AD symptoms were higher in patients with HSV1 and HSV2. Seemingly, HSV is related to the severity of AD. Patients with diseases such as, diabetes, hypertension, and Dyslipidemia likely develop CMV.
Conclusion: These results suggest that CMV infection is associated to increased risk of AD and a quick rate of cognitive decline in elderly populations. The prevalence of these viruses in AD is more pronounced rather than other studies.
Keywords: Alzheimer's, Herpes Viruses, Frequency, Cytomegalovirus