Letter re: Gram-negative bacterial molecules associate with Alzheimer disease pathology

The findings of Zhan et al.1 are intriguing and further the understanding of Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Although the investigators meticulously described the brain tissue handling procedures, there are concerns about contamination. In forensic pathology, postmortem microbial translocation from the gastrointestinal tract to other organs, especially with longer postmortem intervals, may interfere with the interpretation of microbiology cultures.2 A general autopsy performed before brain procurement could be another source of contamination from the gastrointestinal tract.3 Nevertheless, contamination can be detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbe identification4; presence of multiple bacterial species would indicate contamination. Another explanation for the presence of Escherichia coli in the brain would be the possibility of E coli bacteremia in the brain donors.
Source: Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: WRITECLICK & amp;reg; EDITOR ' S CHOICE Source Type: research