See:

http://www.pdonlineresearch.org/news...nson-s-disease

"UCLA researchers funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation report in the January 31 online edition of PloS ONE the surprising conclusion that a vaccine routinely used to prevent childhood tuberculosis (TB) might prove beneficial for maintaining the health of dopaminergic cells in Parkinson’s disease."

A possible link between PD and TB is explored in:

http://drbroxmeyer.netfirms.com/parkinsons.pdf

John

Sounds fantastic!
But then what about these uses? (from wikipedia)

Why haven't we heard about his before?

Other uses
Micrograph showing granulomatous inflammation of bladder neck tissue due to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin used to treat bladder cancer, H&E stain.

* Leprosy: BCG has a small protective effect against leprosy of around 26%,[20] although it is not used specifically for this purpose.
* Buruli ulcer: It is possible that BCG may protect against or delay the onset of Buruli ulcer.[21]
* Cancer immunotherapy: BCG is used in the treatment of superficial forms of bladder cancer. Since the late 1980s, evidence has become available that instillation of BCG into the bladder is an effective form of immunotherapy in this disease.[22] While the mechanism is unclear, it appears a local immune reaction is mounted against the tumor. Immunotherapy with BCG prevents recurrence in up to 67% of cases of superficial bladder cancer. BCG also finds use for immunotherapy of colorectal cancer[23] and for the treatment of equine sarcoid in horses. A number of cancer vaccines in development use BCG as an adjuvant to provide an initial stimulation of the patients' immune system.
* Diabetes, Type I: Clinical trials based on the work of Denise Faustman use BCG to induce production of TNF-α, which can kill the T-cells responsible for type 1 diabetes. Studies using mice have shown a similar treatment results in a permanent cure for about a third of the test subjects.[24]
* Interstitial cystitis (IC) / painful bladder syndrome (PBS): BCG has been useful in treating some people with IC and/or PBS, which are chronic inflammatory bladder problems with unknown etiology. It is instilled directly into the bladder. It is not clear how it works, but the mechanism is likely immunotherapeutic, as the chronic inflammation could be the result of an autoimmune problem.[citation needed]
* Multiple sclerosis (MS): In humans, BCG has been shown to substantially reduce recurrence of symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients.[25] The frequency of new enhancing lesions as detected by Gd-enhanced MRI was reduced by more than half in 12 patients, comparing the six-month run-in phase to the six-month post BCG phase of the experiment. Persistence at subsequent MR scan was reduced from 18 to 1 lesion, and evolution to black holes was reduced from 28 to 6 lesions.[26] The conventional explanation of such protection is that parasites (including bacteria) modulate the sensitivity of the immune system. BCG appears safe as a treatment for multiple sclerosis[25][27] although it is not commonly used.

Work is still being done in the area.

In a paper published recently Bi et al. [1] write:

"Rifampicin is a macrocyclic antibiotic used extensively for the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. Recently, it was discovered that rifampicin exhibits neuroprotective effects. It has been shown to protect PC12 cells against MPP+-induced apoptosis and inhibit the expression of α-synuclein multimers. In in vitro studies, rifampicin pretreatment protects PC12 cells against rotenone-induced cell death. Qualitative and quantitative analyses uncover that rifampicin significantly suppresses rotenone-induced apoptosis by ameliorating mitochondrial oxidative stress. It reduces microglial inflammation and improves neuron survival. Our results indicate that rifampicin is cytoprotective under a variety of experimental conditions, and suggest that it may be useful in PD therapeutics."

Reference

[1] "Rifampicin and Parkinson's disease."
Bi W, Zhu L, Jing X, Liang Y, Tao E.
Neurol Sci. 2013 Feb;34(2):137-41. doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1156-0. Epub 2012 Jul 21.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22821065

John

We're eying Rifampicin, too. Interestingly, there is Lyme disease and other cofactors at work in Jan's neurological condition. She was exposed to TB and had a series of treatments some 20 years ago. With drugs like Rifampicin, it may be that they impact other life forms in addition to their intended target.

At this point, this is an experiment that looks worthwhile.

Trisha