A study led by FSU’s Ravinder Nagpal reveals a potential link between an infection caused by gut bacteria and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The research found that Klebsiella pneumoniae — a bacteria that causes many hospital-acquired infections — can migrate from the gut to the bloodstream and then the brain. This may lead to increased inflammation in the brain and impair cognitive functions, mimicking symptoms seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
“Hospitalizations and ICU stays, combined with antibiotic exposure, may lead to a further decline in microbiome diversity that leaves older adults at high risk not only for digestive issues but also for extra-intestinal pathologies such as neurodegenerative disorders through a dysregulation of the gut-brain axis,” says Nagpal.
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