title: Detection of periodontal bacteria in atheromatous plaque by nested polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, increasing evidence regarding the potential association between periodontal diseases and cardiovascular diseases has been identified. The available evidence underlines the importance of detecting periodontal pathogens on atheromatous plaque as the first step in demonstrating the causal relationship between the two conditions. The main aim of this investigation is to detect periodontitis-associated bacteria from carotid artery atheromatous plaque from patients who received an endarterectomy using strict sample procurement and laboratory procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Atheromatous plaque from endarterectomies from carotid arteries were scraped and homogenized, and bacterial DNA was extracted. To obtain a representative concentration of amplicons, two amplifications of the bacterial 16S ribosomal-RNA gene were carried out for each sample with universal eubacteria primers by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A nested PCR with specific primers for the target bacteria was performed next. Statistical tests included the χ(2) test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-two atheromatous plaque were analyzed. All of them were positive for ≥1 target bacterial species. The bacterial species most commonly found was Porphyromonas gingivalis (78.57%; 33 of 42), followed by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans) (66.67%; 28 of 42), Tannerella forsythia (previously T. forsythensis) (61.90%; 26 of 42), Eikenella corrodens (54.76%; 23 of 42), Fusobacterium nucleatum (50.00%; 21 of 42), and Campylobacter rectus (9.52%; four of 42). The simultaneous presence of various bacterial species within the same specimen was a common observation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within the limitations of this study, the presence of DNA from periodontitis-associated bacteria in carotid artery atheromatous plaque retrieved by endarterectomy is confirmed.
authors: Section of Graduate Periodontology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. efigueruiz@gmail.com
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Figuero
authors: María
authors: M
authors: Sánchez-Beltrán
authors: Susana
authors: S
authors: Cuesta-Frechoso
authors: Jose María
authors: JM
authors: Tejerina
authors: Jose Antonio
authors: JA
authors: del Castro
authors: Jose María
authors: JM
authors: Gutiérrez
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Herrera
authors: Mariano
authors: M
authors: Sanz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004691:Endarterectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058889:Molecular Typing; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S