Research into a variety of childhood chronic diseases, including autism, regressive developmental disorders, fragile-X syndrome, childhood epilepsy, cerebral cavernous malformations, and cystic fibrosis, identified genetic abnormalities and abnormal proteins, in the patients’ blood and cerebral spinal fluid. When an abnormal gene is found, research bias favors assuming genetic causes. Pathogens and parasites have also been found in these patients, but assumed to be only an “association”. Immortal pathogens can create, disperse, and cause abnormal proteins, which alter genes and gene signaling.

Medicine has not confirmed whether abnormal genes cause the chronic disease—or an immortal pathogen causes the abnormal gene, abnormal proteins, and chronic disease. Assuming chronic diseases are genetic offers little hope to patients or their families, whereas diagnosing pathogens which can be treated offers hope of stabilization, improvement, or cure.

Discovery of the root causes of chronic childhood diseases requires a thorough history of past infections, acute infections during pregnancy, and acute infections acquired by the child in early childhood; and sophisticated blood and swab testing of the mother and child for immortal pathogens and parasites. Development of adequate diagnostic tools to identify immortal pathogens and parasites and investigation of infectious pathogens and parasites, in childhood chronic diseases, will advance research and understanding.