(click link above for more detailed info).
Did you know that these bacteria are able to change shape (mutate) at will, basically? They can change shape and size over their lifetime. One of the phases of mutation is called L-Form or cell wall deficient bacteria. Not much is known about L-Form bacteria despite 100 years of research. However they are partly responsible for chronic illness.
"Some of the species of L-form bacteria that have been implicated in chronic disease include Bacillus anthracis, Treponema pallidum, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, Rickettsia prowazekii, and Borrelia burgdorgeri. Not all species cause disease."
They are about 0.01 micron and cannot be seen with normal optical microscope. Cell wall deficient bacteria often cannot be killed by many of the commonly used antibiotics.
L-Form bacteria cause inflammation. They are able to activate proteins that increase the activity of Nuclear Factor Kappa B. This inturn turns on a variety of genes that cause the release of inflammatory cytokines, proteins that generate pain and fatigue. In this way, an inflammatory response is linked with diseases caused by L-form bacteria.
"An inflammatory immune response - is one of the body’s primary means to protect against infection - defines multiple established infectious causes of chronic diseases, including some cancers."Inflammation drives many chronic conditions that are still classified as (noninfectious) autoimmune or immune-mediated. For example... systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease). Both play critical roles in the cause, development, and effects of these inflammatory syndromes.
David Relman, MD
Therefore, inflammation is a clear potential link between infectious agents and chronic diseases.
"People are exposed to L-form bacteria in many places. Because they cannot be killed by pasteurization or chlorination, L-form bacteria can be found in milk, food, and water. They can be transmitted via sperm, intimate contact, and can be passed from mother to child during childbirth. Since they are too small to be filtered during the purification processes used in pharmaceutical manufacturing procedures, they can be transmitted through injectable medicines. They have even been cultured from dry soil."
