title: Antigens of persistent Chlamydia pneumoniae within coronary atheroma from patients undergoing heart transplantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order for Chlamydia pneumoniae to play a causative role in chronic human disease, it would need to persist within infected tissue for extended periods of time. Current theory suggests that C pneumoniae may persist at the site of infection via an alternative replicative form, known as an aberrant body.
  
  
  METHODS
  A panel of C pneumoniae-specific antibodies upregulated by the aberrant body was used to probe tissue specimens from the coronary atheroma from 13 explanted hearts to identify patterns of reactivity in these tissues, as well as to determine the presence and prevalence of C pneumoniae aberrant bodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six of 13 patients had an ischaemic cardiomyopathy secondary to coronary atherosclerosis, while another six patients had an idiopathic, dilated cardiomyopathy. One additional patient, a young (24 years) woman with cardiomyopathy, had no history of atherosclerotic disease. Eleven patients were positive by immunohistochemistry with at least one antibody. Coronary arteries of the two other patients were negative by immunohistochemistry with all antibodies. One of these patients was the 24-year-old woman with grade I disease and no risk factors for coronary artery disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The protein antigens of persistent C pneumoniae infection found in the atheromatous lesions from patients in this study could potentially be used as markers to detect such infections and some may be virulence factors or immunogens specific to C pneumoniae, thus serving as target molecules for diagnostic use or therapeutic intervention.
authors: Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. n.borel@access.uzh.ch
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Borel
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Pospischil
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Dowling
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Dumrese
authors: Charlotte A
authors: CA
authors: Gaydos
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Bunk
authors: Corinna
authors: C
authors: Hermann
authors: Julio A
authors: JA
authors: Ramirez
authors: James T
authors: JT
authors: Summersgill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008875:Middle Aged; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015415:Biomarkers; D004279:DNA, Viral