mycoplasma overgrowth in ebv/cfs is common (edited)

Is it possible that kefir is helping the mycoplamas grow in some way? Since I've been enjoying all this kefir I've been getting sicker.

www.redlabs.be/red-labs/our-science/viral-infections.php

MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE
Mycoplasmas are atypical bacteria that live as intra- or extracellular parasites. Mycoplasmas can be transmitted through aerosols (M. pneumoniae, M. fermentans, both of which are found in the saliva); sexua| transmission is also frequent (M. genitalium). Acute M. pneumoniae infections cause pneumonia, bronchitis; chronic infection in the lungs can exacerbate other respiratory diseases such as asthma. Mycoplasmas can disseminate from their primary infection site to other organs. Central nervous system can be a target, resulting in encephalitis; attack on the joints and development of arthritis is also frequent.

Mycoplasma infections are particularly frequent in CFS patients. Using PCR detection, M. fermentans was found in 34% of CFS patients, versus 8% of healthy controls. Another study showed that more than two third of CFS patients (versus 5.6% of controls) were infected by at least one mycoplasma species (M. fermentans, M. pneumoniae, or M. hominis). This high prevalence may result from the immunodepression typically observed in CFS (low NK activity); however persistent mycoplasma infections can in turn contribute to the etiology of the disease by eliciting a chronic inflammatory response.

bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/full/104/13/4252

Chronic infection or colonization by mycoplasma(s) could gradually and significantly alter many biologic properties of mammalian host cells in culture, including induction of malignant transformation. We examined effects of Mycoplasma fermentans infection on the continuing survival and immortality of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy blood donors. Without specific supplemental growth factors, human PBMCs normally die rapidly, with few cells other than macrophages/monocytes surviving after 2 weeks in cultures. Only occasional Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–positive B lymphocytes would continue to proliferate and undergo spontaneous immortalization. Our present study revealed that infection of human PBMCs in culture with the incognitus and PG18 strains of M fermentans, but surprisingly not with some other strains tested in parallel, markedly enhanced the rate of EBV-positive B lymphocytes to undergo immortalization (74% vs 17%). Compared with spontaneously immortalized PBMCs, the PBMCs immortalized in cultures infected with the mycoplasmas often had prominent karyotype changes with chromosomal loss, gain, or translocations. Furthermore, many of these immortalized B lymphocytes were found to be monoclonal in nature. The in vitro findings would be of relevance to lymphoproliferative disorders that occurred in patients with immune suppression. The mycoplasma-mediated promotional effect in cell immortalization and its potential clinical implications warrant further study.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma

There are over 100 recognized species of the genus Mycoplasma, one of several genera within the bacterial classMollicutes. Mollicutes are parasites or commensals of humans, other animals (including insects), and plants; the genus Mycoplasma is by definition restricted to vertebrate hosts. Cholesterol is required for the growth of species of the genus Mycoplasma as well as certain other genera of mollicutes. Their optimum growth temperature is often the temperature of their host if warmbodied (e. g. 37° C in humans) or ambient temperature if the host is unable to regulate its own internal temperature. Analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences as well as gene content strongly suggest that the mollicutes, including the mycoplasmas, are closely related to either the Lactobacillus or the Clostridium branch of the phylogenetic tree (Firmicutes sensu stricto).

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