Perhaps the plaque on one’s teeth would only affect that person (since it is acceptable to that body in question). The only issue that keeps popping up in my mind is how many care workers of people with Alzheimers come in contact with saliva from spoons, plates, tissues... yes, even a bite and don’t get the disease. My only concern is that this is one interesting study. I don’t want people to overreact and start putting on those Hannibal Lector face masks on people with Alzheimers (or quarantine them) without a LOT MORE study/research has been done. (not that I would want it then either. I just don’t want the medical/nursing home community to overreact is my point)
>> My only concern is that this is one interesting study. <<
Science in general and medicine in particular aren’t likely to be strongly affected by just “one” study. But additional research and experimentation will be done. And if they can replicate the results, then the medical consensus sooner or later will change.
A perfect example is Marshall’s “discovery” (although he really wasn’t first) that certain bacteria are the cause of most stomach ulcers. His radical claim almost got him kicked out of the medical profession in his native Australia. But as more and more studies came to replicate his findings, he finally received full vindication.
(Moreover, it’s now almost a trivial medical matter to cure somebody’s stomach ulcer. A ten-day course of antibiotics and acid-reducers will usually do the job.)
Bottom line:
Don’t be concerned about “one interesting study.” Just wait a few years for the rest of the story!