title: Demonstration of Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerotic lesions of coronary arteries.
abstract: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a human respiratory pathogen that causes acute respiratory disease and approximately 10% of community-acquired pneumonia. The infections are geographically widespread. Antibody prevalence studies have shown that virtually everyone is infected with the C. pneumoniae organisms at some time and that reinfection is common. In addition to respiratory disease, seroepidemiologic studies have shown an association of this organism with coronary artery disease. C. pneumoniae was detected in coronary artery atheromas by immunocytochemistry (15/36) and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (13/30) in 20 of 36 autopsy cases from Johannesburg, South Africa. Sequence analysis of the C. pneumoniae rRNA genes amplified by PCR confirmed that the amplified gene products were C. pneumoniae. Electron microscopy revealed typical pear-shaped C. pneumoniae elementary bodies in 6 of 21 atheromatous plaques. These findings support the seroepidemiologic studies and offer further evidence that C. pneumoniae may be involved in the atherosclerotic process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shor
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukushi
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Grayston
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial