Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1996 Feb;49(2):102–106. doi: 10.1136/jcp.49.2.102

Detection and widespread distribution of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the vascular system and its possible implications.

G Ong 1, B J Thomas 1, A O Mansfield 1, B R Davidson 1, D Taylor-Robinson 1
PMCID: PMC500339  PMID: 8655672

Abstract

AIMS: To attempt to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in atheromatous vascular tissue. METHODS: A modification of an existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and immunofluorescence staining with a monoclonal antibody directed against C pneumoniae were used to detect C pneumoniae. Specimens from 32 patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were examined. Vascular tissue, ostensibly normal, from six liver transplant donors was also examined for comparison. Altogether, 43 vessels from these 38 subjects (age range 36-85 years) were examined. RESULTS: C pneumoniae was detected in 11 (44%) of 25 aortas, five (55%) of nine iliac arteries, two (40%) of five femoral arteries, and one of two iliac veins. Immunofluorescence staining supported positive PCR results in three of 12 cases in which it was used. Overall, C pneumoniae was detected in the arteries of 14 (44%) of the patients undergoing vascular surgery and three (50%) of the donors. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first in the UK in which C pneumoniae organisms have been found in atherosclerotic vessels and the tendency for the organisms to be present most often in such vessels exhibiting chronic inflammatory changes suggests that a search for them in various forms of arteritis may also be rewarding.

Full text

PDF
102

Images in this article

103Image
on p.103
104Image
on p.104

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Forsey T., Darougar S., Treharne J. D. Prevalence in human beings of antibodies to Chlamydia IOL-207, an atypical strain of chlamydia. J Infect. 1986 Mar;12(2):145–152. doi: 10.1016/s0163-4453(86)93608-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Grayston J. T., Campbell L. A., Kuo C. C., Mordhorst C. H., Saikku P., Thom D. H., Wang S. P. A new respiratory tract pathogen: Chlamydia pneumoniae strain TWAR. J Infect Dis. 1990 Apr;161(4):618–625. doi: 10.1093/infdis/161.4.618. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Grayston J. T. Infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae strain TWAR. Clin Infect Dis. 1992 Nov;15(5):757–761. doi: 10.1093/clind/15.5.757. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hahn D. L., Dodge R. W., Golubjatnikov R. Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae (strain TWAR) infection with wheezing, asthmatic bronchitis, and adult-onset asthma. JAMA. 1991 Jul 10;266(2):225–230. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Karvonen M., Tuomilehto J., Pitkäniemi J., Saikku P. The epidemic cycle of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in eastern Finland, 1972-1987. Epidemiol Infect. 1993 Apr;110(2):349–360. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800068291. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Katseni V. L., Gilroy C. B., Ryait B. K., Ariyoshi K., Bieniasz P. D., Weber J. N., Taylor-Robinson D. Mycoplasma fermentans in individuals seropositive and seronegative for HIV-1. Lancet. 1993 Jan 30;341(8840):271–273. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)92617-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kuo C. C., Gown A. M., Benditt E. P., Grayston J. T. Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in aortic lesions of atherosclerosis by immunocytochemical stain. Arterioscler Thromb. 1993 Oct;13(10):1501–1504. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.13.10.1501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kuo C. C., Shor A., Campbell L. A., Fukushi H., Patton D. L., Grayston J. T. Demonstration of Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerotic lesions of coronary arteries. J Infect Dis. 1993 Apr;167(4):841–849. doi: 10.1093/infdis/167.4.841. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Saikku P., Leinonen M., Mattila K., Ekman M. R., Nieminen M. S., Mäkelä P. H., Huttunen J. K., Valtonen V. Serological evidence of an association of a novel Chlamydia, TWAR, with chronic coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction. Lancet. 1988 Oct 29;2(8618):983–986. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)90741-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Shor A., Kuo C. C., Patton D. L. Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in coronary arterial fatty streaks and atheromatous plaques. S Afr Med J. 1992 Sep;82(3):158–161. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Thom D. H., Wang S. P., Grayston J. T., Siscovick D. S., Stewart D. K., Kronmal R. A., Weiss N. S. Chlamydia pneumoniae strain TWAR antibody and angiographically demonstrated coronary artery disease. Arterioscler Thromb. 1991 May-Jun;11(3):547–551. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.11.3.547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tuffrey M., Alexander F., Taylor-Robinson D. Severity of salpingitis in mice after primary and repeated inoculation with a human strain of Chlamydia trachomatis. J Exp Pathol (Oxford) 1990 Jun;71(3):403–410. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES