{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Show 1466: Could Hidden Infections Be Driving Chronic Disease?","description":" Chronic diseases make up the bulk of the problems that modern health care must address. Each condition seems to have its own drivers\u2013cholesterol for heart disease, airway hyperreactivity for asthma, neurotransmitter imbalance for depression and other psychiatric disorders, a buildup of amyloid beta in the brain for Alzheimer disease. What if all these conditions had similar origins? Today we\u2019ll consider the evidence suggesting that hidden infections may be driving many chronic diseases. At The People\u2019s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How Could Hidden Infections Be Driving Chronic Disease? Nikki\u2019s Story We begin this episode with the personal account of Nikki Schultek. She is a patient who has transformed herself into a research leader after a horrendous experience with unexplained chronic disease. She was a healthy active young mother whose lifelong well-controlled asthma suddenly took a dramatic turn for the worse. She then developed atypical pneumonia, heart arrhythmia and interstitial cystitis, along with a slew of autoimmune conditions. All the doctors could tell her was that these were idiopathic conditions driven by inflammation. As she notes, \u201cidiopathic\u201d basically is doctor-speak for we don\u2019t understand what is going on here. When she developed neurodegenerative symptoms that made her physician suspect MS, she was terrified. That low point became a turning point. Her background had equipped her to read scientific studies, so she began trying to figure out what was driving chronic disease in her own situation. A search linking atypical pneumonia and interstitial cystitis led her to the clinician who was able to help her regain her health, Dr. Charles Stratton. He had conducted a small study linking both conditions to a respiratory infection caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae. What Is When people hear \u201cChlamydia,\u201d they think immediately of the sexually transmitted infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. Although the organisms are related, they have completely different modes of transmission. People catch C. pneumoniae (Noo-mo-knee-eye) simply by breathing in air that contains infectious respiratory particles. These bacteria are extremely common, but it is difficult to detect an infection. That\u2019s because C. pneumoniae hides out inside human cells. It doesn\u2019t show up in blood tests or urine cultures. The study that caught Nikki\u2019s eye used PCR, polymerase chain reaction, which detects DNA. That analysis revealed that 80 percent of the women in the study with interstitial cystitis had C. pneumoniae. The researchers concluded that this sneaky pathogen can lead to chronic inflammation. The Link Between C. pneumoniae and Asthma Remember that Nikki\u2019s troubles started with a severe asthma exacerbation. Research has shown a link between that infection and hard-to-treat asthma (PLoS One, April 19, 2021). When Dr. Stratton tested Nikki, they discovered that she indeed harbored a C. pneumoniae infection. The treatment required multiple antibiotics over a prolonged period of time. Luckily, it eventually cleared the interstitial cystitis, the neurodegenerative symptoms, the other autoimmune problems and brought her asthma back under control. Other Pathogens Causing Trouble C. pneumoniae was not the only germ lurking in Nikki\u2019s body. She discovered that she also carried Borrelia burgdorferi, the organism that causes Lyme disease. In addition, an examination of her red blood cells revealed both Babesia and Bartonella, possibly transmitted by the same tick bite that gave her the Lyme disease. These experiences inspired Nikki to start the Intracell Research Group, the Pathobiome Research Center and the Alzheimer\u2019s Pathobiome Initiative. All are aimed at discovering if hidden infections such as C. pneumoniae or Babesia or Borrelia burgdorferi could be driving chronic disease such as dementia. More Research on Covert Pathogens Driving Chronic Disease One of Nikki\u2019s colleagues at the Alzheimer\u2019s Pathobiome Initiative as well as at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is Dr. Brian Balin. He has spent more than 25 years studying the connections between C. pneumoniae infections and brain inflammation. This, in turn, has been linked to neuroinflammation and dementia. Dr. Balin points out that respiratory pathogens like C. pneumoniae are accustomed to entering the body through the nose. The nose offers access not only to the respiratory tract, but also to the brain. However, it can be difficult to detect microbes in the brain while the patient remains alive. This has limited research on infection and cognitive impairment in the past (Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia, Nov. 2023). The COVID pandemic poses another huge risk. Like C. pneumoniae, the SARS-CoV-2 virus often enters the body through the nose. From there, it has ready access to the brain (Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, June 13, 2025). Further, when the immune cells called macrophages respond to these infections, they engulf the pathogen and may carry it throughout the body. Might long COVID be the latest example of unacknowledged infection driving chronic disease? What Are the Implications for Treatment? If it can be firmly established that pathogens trigger the inflammation driving chronic disease, that offers several different approaches for treatment. First, we would need to use a high level of suspicion and appropriate technology (such as PCR) to detect infection. These bugs don\u2019t show up through urine cultures or other typical diagnostic techniques. Secondly, we would need to figure out treatment strategies. Antibiotics can be useful, but they may not be the only tools. Vaccines could help the body fight off these pathogens. Specific antibodies might also be developed to block them. In addition, phage therapies targeted to specific bacteria may also work when antibiotics cannot. If you are unfamiliar with the idea of phage therapy, you might want to listen to our radio shows on this topic. Just think of these viruses the way you think of the enemy of my enemy. That entity becomes your friend! Here are some interviews you may find intriguing: Show 1155: Can Bacteriophages Save Your Life? Show 1407: Battling Superbugs with Nature\u2019s Viral Warriors This Week\u2019s Guests Nikki Schultek is Founding Director of the Pathobiome Research Center, and Research Assistant Professor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine , Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Alzheimer\u2019s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI), and Principal and Founder of Intracell Research Group, LLC. A former life sciences professional with Pfizer and Genentech, she now works to unite global researchers studying infection-associated chronic illnesses, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other brain diseases. Following her own recovery from Lyme Disease, Chlamydia pneumoniae and co-infections, Nikki builds and leads patient-centered interdisciplinary research collaborations to examine microbial drivers of chronic diseases. She has catalyzed philanthropic funding to launch AlzPI research at multiple academic centers and co-lead authored a 2023 roadmap in Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia outlining a rigorous strategy to investigate infections in brain disease. www.PCOM.edu\/research\/pbrc www.AlzPI.org www.IntracellResearchGroup.com Nikki Schultek, founder and director of Intracell Research Group, LLC Brian J. Balin, PhD, is a tenured Professor of Neuroscience and Neuropathology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He directs the Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging (an Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Endowed Center), and the Adolph and Rose Levis Foundation Laboratory for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Research. An internationally recognized Alzheimer\u2019s researcher, Dr. Balin has spent over 25 years investigating links between infection\u2014particularly Chlamydia pneumoniae\u2014and neuroinflammation, blood\u2013brain barrier dysfunction, and neurodegeneration. His NIH- and foundation-funded work has significantly advanced the \u201cpathogen hypothesis\u201d of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and Dr. Balin is regarded as a global expert and pioneer in this research field. Dr. Balin is a Co-Founder of The Alzheimer\u2019s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI). Brian Balin, PhD, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, March 23, 2026, after broadcast on March 21. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Citations Hahn DL, "Chlamydia pneumoniae and chronic asthma: Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of population attributable risk." PLoS One, April 19, 2021. DOI: 10.1371\/journal.pone.0250034 Lathe R et al, "Establishment of a consensus protocol to explore the brain pathobiome in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Research outline and call for collaboration." Alzheimer\u2019s & Dementia, Nov. 2023. DOI: 10.1002\/alz.13076 Romanella A et al, "Infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae and SARS-CoV-2 and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis." Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, June 13, 2025. DOI: 10.3389\/fnagi.2025.1587782   ","author_name":"The People's Pharmacy Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/www.peoplespharmacy.com","html":"