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Key to Alzheimer’s Lies in Gut Not Brain, Says New Study

This undated image courtesy of, Dr. Timothy Rittman, University of Cambridge, shows an MRI image of a healthy brain (L) and an Alzheimer's brain (R) with large black gaps where brain has shrunk. (AFP)
This undated image courtesy of, Dr. Timothy Rittman, University of Cambridge, shows an MRI image of a healthy brain (L) and an Alzheimer's brain (R) with large black gaps where brain has shrunk. (AFP)
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Key to Alzheimer’s Lies in Gut Not Brain, Says New Study

This undated image courtesy of, Dr. Timothy Rittman, University of Cambridge, shows an MRI image of a healthy brain (L) and an Alzheimer's brain (R) with large black gaps where brain has shrunk. (AFP)
This undated image courtesy of, Dr. Timothy Rittman, University of Cambridge, shows an MRI image of a healthy brain (L) and an Alzheimer's brain (R) with large black gaps where brain has shrunk. (AFP)

The key to stopping dementia could lie in the gut rather than the brain, new research suggests. Decades of studies from around the world costing billions of pounds have so far failed to uncover a way of tackling the memory-robbing disease. But the gut “represents an alternative target that may be easier to influence with drugs or diet changes”, experts have said.

A series of experiments linking the gut to the development of Alzheimer's were presented at the Alzheimer's Research UK 2022 Conference in Brighton on March 1, The Daily Mail reported.

One revealed how the microbiomes — the community of bacteria in the gut — of patients with the condition can differ massively to those without the disorder.

Another found rodents given fecal transplants directly from Alzheimer's patients perform worse on memory tests. A third study saw brain stem cells treated with blood from patients with the disorder were less able to grow new nerve cells.

In theory, the patients' gut bacteria influence the levels of inflammation in the body which then impacts the brain via the blood supply. Inflammation is considered a key contributor to the development of Alzheimer's. The disease is the most common type of dementia, and one of the leading causes of death in the UK.

Charities estimate roughly 900,000 people in Britain and 5million in the US are living with the disorder, with that number growing every year as we live longer.

Dr. Edina Silajdžić, a neuroscientist from King's College London, involved in the analysis of samples from Alzheimer's patients, said: “Most people are surprised that their gut bacteria could have any bearing on the health of their brain. But the evidence is mounting — and we are building an understanding of how this comes about.”

“This leads us to believe inflammation associated with gut bacteria can affect the brain via the blood,” Silajdžić noted.

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Monkeys Who Recently Died in Hong Kong's Zoo Had Been Infected with Melioidosis

Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS
Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS
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Monkeys Who Recently Died in Hong Kong's Zoo Had Been Infected with Melioidosis

Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS
Giant tubeworms on the seafloor surface at 2,500 meters water depth at the East Pacific Rise, a volcanically active ridge located where two tectonic plates meet on the floor of the Pacific Ocean in this undated photograph.CC BY-NC-SA Schmidt Ocean Institute/Handout via REUTERS

Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong's oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said in a press briefing that the animals in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens contracted melioidosis and the disease later caused them to develop sepsis, according to The AP.

Yeung stressed that such infections typically occur through contact with contaminated soil and water and that there is generally no danger to humans from contact with infected animals or people.

“We're saddened by the passing of the nine monkeys,” he said.

Eight monkeys were found dead on Sunday, and another died Monday after displaying unusual behavior. The deceased animals were a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced sakis and three cotton-top tamarins — a species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection, melioidosis is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is widespread in soils and muddy water.

Yeung said the park conducted digging work to repair some irrigation pipes under the flower bed near the monkey cages in early October and that the deaths might be related to that.

He said the monkeys might have come into contact with the bacteria after the park's staff walked into their cages with possibly contaminated shoes. Another possibility is that some infected monkeys had close contact with other monkeys, he said.

“The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work,” he said.

Edwin Tsui, the controller of the center, said the incident only happened in a single zone and its impact on Hong Kong residents would be very low.

Yeung on Monday held an urgent interdepartmental meeting about the deaths with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Department of Health.

Another De Brazza’s monkey also displayed unusual behavior and appetite but offiicials said its condition remained stable on Friday.

The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens — the oldest park in the former British colony — fully opened to the public in 1871. It is a rare urban oasis in the downtown Central district of the financial hub, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.