Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 17, 1990                   TAG: 9005170600
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOIL FUNGUS MAY CAUSE PARKINSON'S

Infection of laboratory animals with the fungus, called Nocardia asteroides, damages the specific areas of the brain involved in Parkinson's disease and produces symptoms identical to those found in human patients, the researchers, from the University of California, Davis, said.

"It's not going to be easy to prove this (that Nocardia causes Parkinson's in humans), and there are going to be large numbers of skeptics," said microbiologist Blaine L. Beaman of UC Davis. "It certainly seems unbelievable, but if we can prove it, it translates into a major discovery."

Pinpointing a cause of Parkinson's would be of tremendous significance because scientists currently do not know what causes Parkinson's. Furthermore, identifying a cause, particularly an infectious agent, should lead to new ways of preventing the disease, such as by immunizing against the micro-organism.

Nocardia is widespread in the environment, and most people are probably routinely exposed to it, either in the air or through cuts. It normally causes transient flu-like symptoms, such as cough and fever, but it has been observed to cause neurological symptoms in humans, and in some susceptible individuals may actually trigger Parkinson's, according to Beaman.

Parkinson's usually affects people older than 55. Its main symptoms are incapacitating tremor and rigidity of the limbs. As many as 30 percent of the victims also suffer dementia, a form of mental impairment.

The researchers were to present their findings today at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Anaheim, Calif.

- Los Angeles Times