This UK birth cohort study investigated the relationship between antibodies to 14 pathogens and Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathology in later life.
No consistent association was found between pathogen exposure, as measured by serology, and biomarkers of AD neuropathology including plasma p-tau217 and amyloid-β PET scans.
Unexpectedly, herpes simplex virus 2 seropositivity was linked to lower plasma p-tau217 levels; Epstein-Barr virus and Toxoplasma gondii showed a non-significant trend toward higher amyloid PET positivity.
Potential interactions between pathogen exposure and APOE ε4 genotype or education suggest host-pathogen interplay in AD development merits further investigation.
