--- title: Alzheimer's Disease and Herpes Linked, Experts Say description: Dementia experts are warning that Alzheimer's disease could be caused by herpes and other viruses canonical: https://time.com/4254778/medical-experts-herpes-alzheimers-link/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-10T23:27:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:48:49.234Z article:section: Health og:title: Experts Say There’s a Herpes-Alzheimer's Link og:description: "We can’t keep ignoring all of the evidence" og:url: https://time.com/4254778/medical-experts-herpes-alzheimers-link/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4121adedec53c37d/69888a8f0a4a2223989c8c32/alzheimer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 85757054 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Experts Say There’s a Herpes-Alzheimer's Link twitter:description: "We can’t keep ignoring all of the evidence" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4121adedec53c37d/69888a8f0a4a2223989c8c32/alzheimer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Experts Say There’s a Herpes-Alzheimer's Link  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Mar 10, 2016 11:27 PM UTC  CAT scan of brain, Alzheimer's disease CAT scan of brain, Alzheimer's diseaseGetty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Mar 10, 2016 11:27 PM UTC Dementia experts are warning that [Alzheimer’s disease could be caused by herpes](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12188092/Alzheimers-disease-could-be-caused-by-herpes-virus-warn-experts.html) and other viruses. A team of 31 scientists and clinicians wrote an editorial in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, arguing that microbes are the major cause of dementia, [the _Telegraph_ reported](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12188092/Alzheimers-disease-could-be-caused-by-herpes-virus-warn-experts.html) on Wednesday. “We are saying there is incontrovertible evidence that Alzheimer’s Disease has a dormant microbial component. We can’t keep ignoring all of the evidence,” said Douglas Kell, a professor at the University of Manchester’s School of Chemistry and one of the authors of the editorial. The scientists named the herpes virus, chlamydia bacteria and spirochaete bacteria as possible causes of the disease. They argue in the editorial that antimicrobial drugs might help stop the progression of dementia. The experts said viruses and bacteria are common in the brains of elderly people. In particular, herpes has been linked to damage in the central nervous system and the limbic system, which is associated with mental decline and personality changes, the _Telegraph_ reported. 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