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Published on: April 7, 2015
[Chlamydia pneumoniae antibody titers in patients with acute ischemic stroke]
1Department of Neurology, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital.
Insights
This study suggests a link between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and ischemic stroke, particularly atherothrombotic infarction. Active C. pneumoniae infection was more prevalent in patients with atherothrombotic stroke compared to other types.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Neurology
- Cardiovascular Research
Context:
- Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide.
- Chlamydia pneumoniae is a bacterium implicated in various inflammatory conditions.
- The role of C. pneumoniae in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke remains under investigation.
Purpose:
- To investigate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and different subtypes of ischemic stroke.
- To determine the prevalence of active and inactive C. pneumoniae infections in stroke patients.
- To explore the relationship between C. pneumoniae infection and carotid artery atherosclerosis.
Summary:
- A study of 91 acute ischemic stroke patients found a higher prevalence of active Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in the atherothrombotic infarction group (20.7%) compared to cardiac embolism (2.9%) and lacunar infarction (7.4%) groups.
- Patients with atherothrombotic infarction showed higher IgG antibody indexes against C. pneumoniae.
- Elevated IgG indexes were also observed in patients with carotid plaque, suggesting a link between C. pneumoniae infection and atherosclerosis in stroke patients.
Impact:
- These findings support an association between acute atherothrombotic infarction and chronic active C. pneumoniae infection.
- Highlights the potential role of C. pneumoniae as a contributing factor in atherothrombotic stroke.
- Suggests further research into antimicrobial therapies for stroke prevention and treatment.
Abstract:
To evaluate an association of ischemic stroke and Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection, we investigated specific antibodies to C. pneumoniae by ELISA in sera of 91 patients (male 53, female 38, mean age 73 years) with acute ischemic stroke. We divided the patients under clinical diagnosis into three groups, those with cardiac embolism (E group, n = 35), atherothrombotic infarction (A group, n = 29) and lacunar infarction (L group, n = 27). Carotid ultrasound examination was performed in 79 patients. The active infection, including acute primary infection, reinfection and chronic active infection, was defined by IgG or IgA index being > or = 3.00, while inactive infection, including previous and chronic inactive infection, was defined by IgG index being > or = 1.10 and < 3.00, and IgA index being < 3.00. We found that 20.7% of A group, 2.9% of E group, and 7.4% of L group had indexes suggesting an active infection (A vs. E. p = 0.040, A vs. L, p = 0.254, L vs. E, p = 0.575: Fisher's exact test). The IgG indexes of A group (mean, 1.50) were higher than those of E group (mean, 1.35) and those of L group (mean, 0.93, A vs. L, p = 0.049: unpaired t-test). The patients with carotid plaque (n = 7) had higher IgG indexes (mean, 2.28) than those without carotid plaque (n = 72, mean, 1.11, p = 0.002: unpaired t-test). These data support the association of acute atherothrombotic infarction with chronic active C. pneumoniae infection.
