TABLE 2.
Cytological changes associated with C. pneumoniae-induced atherosclerotic, myxoid, and periaortic lesionsa
| Cell type | Controls (aorta) | Cholesterol fedb (atherosclerosis) |
C. pneumoniae infected
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherosclerosis | Myxoidc | Periaortitis | |||
| B cell | 0 (0/25) | +–++ (6/10) | 0–+ (2/17) | 0–+ (1/21) | +–+++ (4/14) |
| T cell | 0 (0/25) | ++–+++ (7/10) | +–++ (5/17) | 0–+ (1/21) | +–+++ (6/14) |
| Macrophage | 0 (0/25) | ++–+++ (10/10) | + (6/17) | 0–+ (3/21) | +–+++ (10/14) |
| Smooth muscle | N (25) | +++ (10/10) | +–+++ (11/17) | + (9/21) | 0 (0/14) |
| C. pneumoniae (sum of all stains) | 0 (0/25) | 0 (0/10) | +–++ (7/17) | +–++ (9/21) | + (5/14) |
a
Grading system: 0, negative; N, positive normal amount; +, one focus with ≥5 cells positive; ++, two to five foci each with ≥5 cells positive; +++, over five foci each with ≥5 cells positive. Number of lesions positive over total lesions (or aortic sections) tested is given in parentheses.
b
Animals were fed 0.5% cholesterol-containing diets.
c
Focal area of accumulation of myxoid ground substance in the media without other changes.