Regardless of the possible association of a role for α-synuclein in the host’s anti-microbial defense with any relevance to actual PD initiation, our findings raise important implications for a range of clinical research activities that focus on the lowering of total (or oligomeric species) of α-synuclein as a therapeutic strategy (Masliah et al. 2005; Lee and Lee 2016; Schenk et al. 2017). The gene discussed is SNCA; the disease is Parkinson disease.