title: Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in dialysis patients, renal transplant recipients and healthy controls.
abstract: It has been suggested that infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae plays a role in the development and maintenance of atherosclerosis based on differences in the prevalence of antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae in patients with and without atherosclerotic lesions and on the presence of bacteria in atherosclerotic lesions. It is well known that patients undergoing chronic dialysis treatment and renal transplant recipients have a considerably increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In this study it is hypothesized that patients with these conditions have a higher prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in the white cells of the peripheral blood. Blood samples from 196 dialysis patients, 114 renal transplant recipients and 342 healthy controls were analysed with an in-house nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) and tested for the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA. The prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA was significantly higher in dialysis patients (16.3%) than in healthy controls (8.5%, p < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was found between the prevalence in renal transplant recipients (9.6%) and healthy controls. The prevalence was not related to gender or age in either group, and it was the same in diabetics and non-diabetics. Dialysis patients have a higher prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA than healthy controls. The lower prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in renal transplant recipients than in dialysis patients may be due to selection of dialysis patients with few or no cardiovascular complications for renal transplantation. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that Chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Holstebro Hospital Holstebro, Denmark. ajam@ringamt.dk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nyvad
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Løkkegaard
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sølling
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Pedersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial