Pneumonia initiates a tauopathy.

ABSTRACT: Pneumonia causes short- and long-term cognitive dysfunction in a high proportion of patients, although the mechanism(s) responsible for this effect are unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that pneumonia-elicited cytotoxic amyloid and tau variants: (1) are present in the circulation during infection; (2) lead to impairment of long-term potentiation; and, (3) inhibit long-term potentiation dependent upon tau. Cytotoxic amyloid and tau species were recovered from the blood and the hippocampus following pneumonia, and they were present in the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation oxygenators of patients with pneumonia, especially in those who died. Introduction of immunopurified blood-borne amyloid and tau into either the airways or the blood of uninfected animals acutely and chronically imp

SUBMITTER: Balczon R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8443149 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature