From Ruth Itzhaki, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
Manchester
Your report on our work which identified a link between Alzheimer’s disease
and herpes simplex virus type 1, which causes cold sores, contains a slight
error (This Week, 1 February, p 10). When we examined brain tissues from people
who had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, 63 per cent of these patients had
HSV1 in their brains and possessed a variant of the apolipoprotein gene called
the apo&egr;4 allele. The article incorrectly gave this figure as 53 per
cent.
Our main concern is not to impede gene therapy with HSV1, as suggested in the
article, although we would advise caution. Given the strength of the link
between Alzheimer’s and HSV1, we’re excited about the prospects for preventing
the disease by immunising people against the virus or treating patients who
already have it with antiviral agents that might slow progression of the
disease.
