PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)
Blood microbiota dysbiosis is associated with the onset of cardiovascular events in a large general population: the D.E.S.I.R. study.
Abstract
AimWe recently described a human blood microbiome and a connection between this microbiome and the onset of diabetes. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between blood microbiota and incident cardiovascular disease.Methods and resultsD.E.S.I.R. is a longitudinal study with the primary aim of describing the natural history of the metabolic syndrome and its complications. Participants were evaluated at inclusion and at 3-, 6-, and 9-yearly follow-up visits. The 16S ribosomal DNA bacterial gene sequence, that is common to the vast majority of bacteria (Eubac) and a sequence that mostly represents Proteobacteria (Pbac), were measured in blood collected at baseline from 3936 participants. 73 incident cases of acute cardiovascular events, including 30 myocardial infarctions were recorded. Eubac was positively correlated with Pbac (r = 0.59; PConclusionPbac and Eubac were shown to be independent markers of the risk of cardiovascular disease. This finding is evidence for the new concept of the role played by blood microbiota dysbiosis on atherothrombotic disease. This concept may help to elucidate the relation between bacteria and cardiovascular disease.