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Antibiotics And Antifungals May Slightly Affect Parkinson's Risk, Study Finds
A Rutgers Health study has found that people who took multiple courses of penicillin antibiotics had a modestly lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a surprising finding that researchers say highlights the complex relationship between bacteria in the digestive tract and brain health.
The study, published in Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, analyzed medical records from more than 93,000 people in the United Kingdom. Researchers found that those who received five or more courses of penicillin antibiotics in the five years before diagnosis had about a 15% lower risk of Parkinson's compared with those who took no antibiotics.
"We found an inverse dose-response relationship between number of penicillin courses and Parkinson's disease risk across multiple durations," said Gian Pal, a neurologist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and lead author of the study. "This was unexpected and contrasts with some prior studies."
The findings add to increasing evidence that the trillions of microbes living in the human digestive tract may play a role in Parkinson's disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects movement and balance. Some researchers believe inflammation or toxins from certain gut bacteria could contribute to the disease's development.
"There's an idea that the disease starts in the gut and that inflammation in the gut can make the gut more leaky and allow toxins or inflammation to ascend to the brain through the vagus nerve," Pal said.
To investigate potential links between gut bacteria and Parkinson's, the researchers examined anonymized medical records from a large U.K. Database. They compared 12,557 people diagnosed with Parkinson's to 80,804 similar individuals without the disease.
In addition to the reduced risk associated with penicillin use, the study found people who took two or more courses of antifungal medications in the five years before diagnosis had about a 16% higher risk of Parkinson's. This aligned with findings from a previous Finnish study.
However, Pal said the associations were relatively small and should not influence medical decisions.
"These are all very mild, so it should not influence decisions about when to use antibiotics or antifungals," he said. "The importance of the study is that it speaks to the idea that something is going on in the gut microbiome could influence Parkinson's disease,"
The study has limitations, such as its inability to account for other bacteria-affecting behaviors, such as patient diet.
Still, Pal said the findings support further investigation into how gut microbes might influence Parkinson's risk.
"The fact that a medication that you take only for a few days to alter your microbiome in a small way alters your Parkinson's risk -- to me, that makes a stronger case that the microbiome is implicated," he said.
Parkinson's disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide, and cases are expected to rise as populations age. While its exact causes remain unclear, researchers believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors produce the disease. It is primarily diagnosed based on symptoms, as there is no definitive lab test.
Pal said follow-up research to the study includes investigating whether specific fungi or bacteria in the gut are associated with Parkinson's risk.
"Better understanding what the antifungal composition is in the gut -- which really hasn't been well explored -- and seeing if that is useful in distinguishing Parkinson's patients from non-Parkinson's patients would be useful," he said.
Researchers also hope to determine if altering levels of certain gut microbes could potentially reduce Parkinson's risk or modify the disease's course in those already diagnosed.
Pediatric Pneumonia Cases Are On The Rise. Here's What Parents Should Know
Bacterial pneumonia cases are on the rise in young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pneumonia, a common lung infection, can be caused by multiple sources, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. However, the CDC says cases caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been increasing in the last six months "since late spring and have remained high" and has been impacting children in particular.
More cases caused by M. Pneumoniae in younger children are especially "notable," the CDC said in an Oct. 18 notice. According to the CDC, cases have risen from about 1% to over 7% in 2 to 4-year-olds and from about 3% to over 7% in older children between 5 and 17 years old.
Bacterial pneumonia cases on the rise in kids
STOCK PHOTO/Vera Livchak/Getty Images
"No parent should panic because of this news. It really should be informative so that they know what to look out for," said Dr. Jade Cobern, a pediatrician and member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
Why should parents be concerned about pneumonia caused by M. Pneumoniae?According to the CDC, cases of M. Pneumoniae infections appear the most often in children between 5 and 17 and young adults.
A look at pediatric pneumonia in Ohio What are the symptoms of bacterial pneumonia caused by M. Pneumoniae?
M. Pneumoniae can cause damage to the respiratory tract lining, including the throat, trachea, and lungs.
Symptoms of M. Pneumoniae infection resemble that of a chest cold and can include fever, cough, and a sore throat but in some cases, can also lead to what's known as "walking pneumonia," where the symptoms appear mild.
With kids under 5, M. Pneumoniae infections can cause different symptoms than the chest cold symptoms older kids and adults may experience. They include:
"Any kid younger than 5 are also prone to what we call nonspecific symptoms that may easily mimic other types of infections and will be different than what we see in that older population," Cobern explained. "In this younger age group, it can be common for these kids to have really generalized symptoms that may not involve the respiratory tract at all."
If someone has a serious case, they may require hospitalization. Symptoms of more serious infections include worsening asthma, new development of asthma, severe pneumonia or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
"This type of infection can have a very slow onset and symptoms can last longer than what we see in other types of pneumonia. And so, if kids are having symptoms that really just aren't getting better, if they're having any difficulty breathing, they need to be seen right away," Cobern said.
What parents need to know as whooping cough cases surge What are general pneumonia symptoms in kids?
Other types of pneumonia may have simlar to slightly different symptoms from pneumonia cases cased by M. Pneumoniae. They include:
An M. Pneumoniae infection can be contagious. When a sick person coughs or sneezes, bacteria in the respiratory droplets can be exhaled and someone else can inhale the bacteria.
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After her pneumonia scare, Oprah is urging others to get vaccinated What is the treatment for bacterial pneumonia caused by M. Pneumoniae?
Some people with M. Pneumoniae infections can recover on their own and over-the-counter medications may provide relief from symptoms.
Others, though, may require medications, such as certain antibiotics called macrolides.
M. Pneumonia is naturally resistant to some antibiotics that are commonly used to treat other types of bacterial pneumonia.
How can M. Pneumoniae infections be prevented?The CDC recommends practicing good hygiene to prevent bacterial pneumonia infections, including washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes.
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