Chlamydia Pneumoniae in the Atherosclerotic Plaques of Coronary Artery Disease Patients

Abstract

An association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) and cardiovascular disease has been demonstrated. In this study, we aimed to study this potential relationship in 105 Iranian patients. Coronary artery specimens from 105 Iranian patients undergoing CABG were analyzed by PCR method for C. pneumoniae. Serological evaluation for C. pneumoniae IgG and IgM was performed using ELISA. 53 specimens from mamillary artery were also investigated. C. pneumoniae PCR test result was positive for 23 (21.9%) of patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis, but none of the specimens from the mamillary artery was positive for C. pneumoniae when it was evaluated by the PCR (P<0.001). Coronary artery disease patients with and without a history of unstable angina or myocardial infarction were comparable in C. pneumoniae PCR test positive rates (P=0.618). Relevance of IgG and IgM positivity were also studied by correlating it to the study parameters, but no difference was found. CRP was significantly higher in the IgM positive group (P<0.001). A significant proportion of coronary atherosclerotic plaques are infected with C. pneumoniae while no infection was found in the normal mamillary artery specimens. No association was found between acute coronary syndromes and serological and PCR positivity. Further prospective randomized controlled studies with large patient population are needed to confirm our findings.

Keywords

• Atherosclerosis
• Chlamydia pneumonia
• Coronary heart disease
• Infection