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Isolation of Chlamydia pneumoniae from a carotid endarterectomy specimen
L A Jackson1, L A Campbell, C C Kuo
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington and Providence Medical Center, Seattle, USA.
Abstract:
Chlamydia pneumoniae has been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by both seroepidemiologic studies and direct detection of the organism in atherosclerotic plaque by electron microscopy (EM), immunocytochemistry (ICC), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Despite the frequent detection of the organism in atheromatous cardiovascular specimens by these methods, only 1 cardiovascular isolate of C. pneumoniae, obtained from a coronary artery, has been previously reported. This study reports the isolation of C. pneumoniae from a prospectively obtained carotid endarterectomy specimen. The organism appears to be identical to other C. pneumoniae isolates by EM morphology, reactivity to species-specific monoclonal antibodies, and Southern hybridization analysis of chromosomal digests using C. pneumoniae-specific DNA probes. C. pneumoniae was detected by PCR or ICC (or both) in 11 (69%) of 16 other endarterectomy specimens tested by both of these methods. These results provide further evidence for an association of C. pneumoniae and atherosclerosis by confirming the presence of viable bacteria within atherosclerotic plaque.
Insights
Chlamydia pneumoniae bacteria were isolated from carotid endarterectomy specimens, confirming its presence in atherosclerotic plaque. This finding strengthens the link between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and cardiovascular disease.
Area of Science:
- Infectious disease
- Cardiovascular pathology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is a suspected contributor to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
- Previous studies detected C. pneumoniae in atherosclerotic plaque using methods like PCR and EM, but isolation was rare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize Chlamydia pneumoniae from carotid endarterectomy specimens.
- To provide further evidence for the association between C. pneumoniae and atherosclerosis.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of C. pneumoniae from a prospectively obtained carotid endarterectomy specimen.
- Characterization of the isolate using electron microscopy (EM), monoclonal antibody reactivity, and Southern hybridization.
- Detection of C. pneumoniae in additional specimens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocytochemistry (ICC).
Main Results:
- Successful isolation of C. pneumoniae from a carotid endarterectomy specimen.
- The isolate was morphologically and genetically similar to known C. pneumoniae strains.
- C. pneumoniae was detected in 69% of other tested endarterectomy specimens via PCR or ICC.
Conclusions:
- This study confirms the presence of viable Chlamydia pneumoniae within atherosclerotic plaque.
- The findings support the role of C. pneumoniae as a potential etiological agent in atherosclerosis.