Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA is not detectable within sarcoidosis tissue

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Recent studies have suggested the possibility of a bacterial origin with Chlamydia pneumoniae being one of the many bacteria considered. The aim of this study was to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in an attempt to identify C. pneumoniae within fresh/frozen sarcoidosis tissue. Tissue from 20 sarcoidosis patients and 17 controls was evaluated. DNA was extracted from all tissue specimens and PCR amplified with primers specific for C. pneumoniae. All study tissues were negative for the presence of DNA sequences from C. pneumoniae. These findings could not be attributed to PCR inhibition or to lack of sensitivity of the PCR assay. The negative finding suggests either that there is no involvement between C. pneumoniae and sarcoidosis or that, having incited granulomata formation, it is no longer present in detectable amounts.