Immunoblotting analysis of abdominal aortic aneurysms using antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae recombinant MOMP.
OBJECTIVE
antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae have been associated with atherosclerosis and with expansion of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). C. pneumoniae has been demonstrated in coronary arteries, AAA and the carotid arteries by use of polymerase chain reactions (PCR), immunohistochemical procedures and electron microscopy. However, the correlation between demonstrating C. pneumoniae DNA or antigen in tissue from plaque material or aneurysms and the antibody titres in serum is controversial. The specificity of immunohistochemical procedures is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of potential non-specific findings for methods based on immunostaining.


METHODS
twenty patients undergoing infrarenal AAA repair were studied. Full AAA thickness tissue was collected from the anterior wall of the aneurysm. Analysis was performed using polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis, immunoblotting and mass spectrometric protein identification.


RESULTS
C. pneumoniae antigen was not demonstrated in any of the AAA samples, whereas a major cross-reacting protein was present in all AAA samples. The protein was identified as the human haemoglobin beta chain.


CONCLUSIONS
we were not able to find C. pneumoniae antigens reacting with an anti C. pneumoniae major outer membrane protein (MOMP). Direct detection of C. pneumoniae by immunohistostaining procedures should be interpreted with caution due to potential crossreaction with non chlamydial proteins.
Vammen
S
S
Department of Vascular Surgery, Viborg Hospital, Denmark.
Vorum
H
H
Ostergaard
L
L
Henneberg
E W
EW
Lindholt
J S
JS
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins