It has been disturbing to read reports of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) in children. AFM is a new description of symptoms, which refers to development of limb weakness and/or paralysis after a “mild” acute illness. Children with AFM have been tested for viruses and abnormal genes, poked and prodded, and had spinal taps; yet, the scientists and CDC were unable to find a definitive cause. Investigators hypothesized a virus, because a virus was found in about half the children; but, found no definitive answer.

The AFM investigation highlights problems that can occur in research and epidemiologic investigations, which include: 1.) Failure to do medical research first, to find the most common pathogens capable of causing limb and spinal cord paralysis in people and animals, and include testing for those pathogens in the investigational plan; 2.) Failure to take an adequate patient history, including rural or city environment and prior contact with pets and animals; 3.) Failure to consider latent co-infections with immortal bacteria and parasites, which could be triggered by a viral infection to cause limb weakness and/or paralysis.

Scientific literature reports chlamydia psittacosis, mycoplasma, and toxoplasmosis are capable of causing limb paralysis in humans and animals; and chlamydia psittacosis and mycoplasma are known causes of acute transverse myelitis (acute spinal cord paralysis). Research bias prevents reasoning likely causes before randomly searching for an explanation, and prevents investigators from considering and testing for bacterial pathogens and parasites.