Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in patients undergoing carotid artery stent.
Although several reports have correlated Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP) infection with carotid endarterectomy and coronary stent, no data have been reported on the potential relationship between this pathogen and carotid artery stenting (CAS). Hence, we evaluated 47 subjects, 27 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic, before CAS intervention and during the follow up, for the presence of CP DNA and anti-CP antibodies, including chlamydial HSP60 (Cp-HSP60). Before stent placement, CP DNA was detected exclusively in symptomatic patients, all of whom were also positive for CP IgG and IgA and 85.7 percent of them also had CP-HSP60 antibodies. At the follow-up, all CP DNA positive and 11 out of the 13 symptomatic patients with Cp-HSP60 antibodies became negatives. In contrast, no change was observed for CP- IgA antibodies. Despite the small number of patients, the present study advocates an important role of CP infection in symptomatic patients with carotid artery disease. Our findings also suggest that stent placement and/or therapy might have a role in favouring resolution of inflammation, though not affecting persistence of CP infection.
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immuno-mediate, Rome, Italy.
F
F
Mancini
E
E
Boatta
M F
MF
Vescio
F
F
Fanelli
F M
FM
Salvatori
R
R
Passariello
A
A
Cassone
A
A
Ciervo
D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000628:therapy*; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000382:microbiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents / Q000382:microbiology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D002097:C-Reactive Protein