Many other viruses and bacteria have been implicated in Parkinson's disease There are listed at Link Text. Interestingly interferon gamma, a cytokine induced by many infections also kills substantia nigra neurones Link Text suggesting a common means whereby many infections could target these dopamine neurones, whose destruction leads to Parkinson's disease. These pathogens are common and of course do not produce Parkinson's disease in all cases of infection - Suseceptibility genes, which are often related to the immune system and to pathogen entry and defence pathways likely play a role in conditioning their effects.

This is definitely not the first time that human genes are found in bacteria or vice versa: Trost et al have published two papers on this showing that ALL human proteins contain bacterial consensi,often of contiguous nonapeptides, and therefore genes (and therefore that bacteria contain human genes) Bacterial peptides are intensively present throughout the human proteome Self/Nonself Trost et al, 2010 and No human protein is exempt from bacterial motifs. Not even one Self Nonself Trost et al, 2010b

This is definitely not the first time that human genes are found in bacteria or vice versa: Trost et al have published two papers on this showing that ALL human proteins contain bacterial consensi,often of contiguous nonapeptides, and therefore genes (and therefore that bacteria contain human genes) Bacterial peptides are intensively present throughout the human proteome Self/Nonself Trost et al, 2010at and No human protein is exempt from bacterial motifs. Not even one Self Nonself Trost et al, 2010b

This link will take you to the proteins concerned

Click here for BLAST files An idea of how this works is here

The XMRV virus is undoubtedly implicated in chronic fatigue. Its proteins are similar to those of the mitochondrial respiration and energy generating system, and antibodies to the virus will also target these important human proteins. Even if the virus has been successfully eliminated, antibodies will continue to encounter the human homologues, driving an autoimmune response that effectively knocks out the mitochondrial energy generating system, and makes you tired and fatigued.

Bacteria replicate at an astonishing rate and at each replication there is surely a chance of polymorphisms and mutations in the "progeny" just from DNA typing errors. Their success relates to their abilty to adapt and change, so perhaps it is not too surprising that good guys can change to bad, (or vice versa).

This has been rejected by Nature, Science, and the European Journal of Immunology where, in all cases, it didn't even make it past the editors !

Some of the proteins that make up the XMRV virus closely ressemble human proteins that are involved in mitochondrial respiration and energy generation and they are also similar to proteins involved in prostate cancer.The viral proteins are immunogenic, and antibodies against the virus will also target the similar human proteins. Even if the immune system deals with and eliminates the virus, these antibodies will continue meeting the human proteins, sustaining an autoimmune response that keeps on targeting the energy and cancer related areas. This may explain the controversy over the presence and absence of XMRV in different studies. The virus doesn't need to be there, it just needs to have been there.