Hi Aleks,
thanks for you really great post, it is very illuminating and wonderfully clear.

It raised more questions though, that perhaps you may be able to answer.

While i can see that there is a separation between inflammation and infection, and that there is no direct causality known between PD and infection, I wonder if you could comment and maybe clarify some things about infection.

In MS for instance which as I understand it, is both autoimmune and neurodegenerative, there seems to be an acknowledged link between infection and worsening of MS symptoms, or initiating a relapse.

I have seen many posts over the years that relate to infection and PD symptoms worsening, and the taking of antibiotics improving PD symptoms.

Is there a medical view on why this would happen, other than a general dip in health? I have also seen posts where the opposite is happening, maybe a general infection like a cold, and PD improves. I've observed that the deterioration described, anecdotally of course, often related to bacterial infection, and the improvement related to viral........ it has struck me as interesting, and perhaps significant, and certainly matches my own experience, a cold or flu will knock me sideways in a wholly expected way, but something like a UTI or a dental infection will worsen everything.

This seems very similar to what happens in MS.......

I would love to know what your thoughts are on this. Sometimes I think we are pattern matching because we haven't a clue why things are happening to us, and other times I think that our collective experiences hold truths that have not yet been recognized.

Lindy