Qualifier: I am working on my 13th and 14th infection book in emerging infections. The fascinating research below ignores the 20% of Bartonella in advanced societies, Babesia that kills at least 1.4%, and Lyme disease that evades immunity and antibody tests 20-27 ways. Yet it is unfair to expect every PhD and MD/DO to be an expert in 100 infections.
Select findings that may be curious to you. Humans have about 8-9 different herpes viruses. Their names are not simply Herpes 3, 4, 5, etc., and so you know their names.
Akgul and team report these key lines:
* Schizophrenia was characterized by EBV [Epstein-Barr virus] seropositivity accompanied by systemic inflammatory activation
* Bipolar disorder by HSV-1 [oral herpes] seropositivity in the absence of inflammatory changes.
* Major depressive disorder is associated with inflammatory dysregulation independent of viral exposure.
**Schaller: These illnesses have vast causes and variations. In our January 30, 2026 DESTROY DEPRESSION: RETURN TO JOY, we discuss many of the 250 sample causes of Major Depression. We discuss elite, largely unknown, low-cost laboratories that examine a wide range of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Wang and Team report:
There were statistically significant associations between depression and infection with… herpes simplex virus-1 [oral herpes], varicella zoster virus [shingles], and Epstein-Barr virus.
Savitz published:
* Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common herpesvirus that establishes a persistent infection that can suppress the immune system and cause inflammation. My position is that inflammation promotes depression.
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Akgül Ö, Demirel ÖF, Tosun İ, Kavla Y, Kirpinar MM, Sapmaz B, Şenyiğit G, Çalişkan R, Öner YA. Unveiling the Interplay of EBV, HSV-1, and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Psychiatric Disorders. J Clin Med. 2025 Sep 24;14(19):6730. doi: 10.3390/jcm14196730. PMID: 41095809; PMCID: PMC12525196.
Wang X, Zhang L, Lei Y, Liu X, Zhou X, Liu Y, Wang M, Yang L, Zhang L, Fan S, Xie P. Meta-analysis of infectious agents and depression. Sci Rep. 2014 Mar 31;4:4530. doi: 10.1038/srep04530. PMID: 24681753; PMCID: PMC5380112.
Savitz J. Depression’s double hit: immune dysfunction and viral reactivation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2025 Nov 6;380(1938):20240409. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0409. Epub 2025 Nov 6. PMID: 41194661; PMCID: PMC12590179.