In order to have a positive control for our case of meningovascular neuroborreliosis, we have used the brain of a patient with clinically and neuropathologically confirmed general paresis, with slowly progressive dementia.  That spirochetes persist in the brain in general paresis is well known from the discoveries of Noguchi and Moore (1913).

When using silver techniques for the detection of spirochetes, in the brain of this patient suffering from general paresis, innumerable spirochetes in colonies and diffusely disseminated in the cerebral cortex were observed. The accumulation of spirochetes in colonies was morphologically indistinguishable from senile plaques. At higher magnification, the regular spiral form of many Treponema spirochetes was well recognized, indicating, that the plaques were indeed made up by spirochetes. This observation raised the hypothesis that in an analogous way to Treponema pallidum, several other types of spirochetes, including Borrelia burgdorferi, periodontal pathogen spirochetes, intestinal and various other spirochetes may also invade the brain and cause dementia and that these various types of spirochetes may be involved in Alzheimer's disease. 

In an initial study we have analyzed spirochetes in the blood, CSF and brains of Alzheimer's patients using well established, neutral techniques, which are able to recognize all types of spirochetes. This was the way that the hypothesis "Alzheimer's disease - A spirochetosis?" was born. This title was chosen for our first manuscript to clearly express that several types of spirochetes may be involved in AD.  We have chosen the term "spirochetosis" at the place of "neurospirochetosis" as we have anticipated that in addition to the brain, several other organs might also be involved, as these microorganisms reach various organs via hematogen dissemination (Miklossy, 1993).