Multiple Sclerosis, Mad Cow Disease and Acinetobacter

The aim of this book is to publicise and bring to a wider audience the concept that the cause of two neurological diseases, namely multiple sclerosis (MS) and 'mad cow disease' also known as 'bovine spongiform encephalopathy' are related through exposure to a common microbe Acinetobacter which is found in human sinuses, on skin and in the soil. An infection is the cause of a neurological disease in man and in animals. Elevated levels of antibodies to Acinetobacter have been found in multiple sclerosis patients as well as in ruminants who have been described as suffering from 'mad cow disease' following exposure to contaminated feed supplements. The overall objective and scope of this book is to inform the audience, the reader, that multiple sclerosis may be linked to a microbe Acinetobacter which carries molecular structures resembling myelin, the outer sheath covering of neurons.

Professor Alan Ebringer, Department of Rheumatology, The Middlesex Hospital UCH School of Medicine and Infection & Immunity Group, Division of Life Sciences, Kings College, London, UK.