[A survey of detecting Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA with the aid of PCR in human coronary arteries and ascending aorta at postmortem and in alive patients]

ABSTRACT

Atherosclerosis is an important agent of mortality and morbidily among humans. Knowledge of the causative and precipitating factors of atherosclerosis is therefore highly important. Among the factors, infections have been cited among which Chlamydia pneumoniae. Accordingly we performed a systemic dissection of the 3 coronary arteries and ascending aorta in 49 postmortem subjects who underwent operation and 5 atherosclerotic plaques in alive subjects and studied the relationship in individual persons between the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA and the number of major risk factors. Other major risk factors comprising age, sex, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, smoking, hypercholestrolemia and history of deaths due to heart ailment in families were also studied. From each vessels, two sections were obtained, one determining pathological grading of atherosclerosis [study classification], and other determining the prevalence of Chlamydia pneumonia DNA by polymerase chain Reaction [PCR] method. PCR was performed in Pasteur Institute. C.Pneumoniae was detected by PCR in 14 [25.9%] out of 54 subjects. 19 segments of vessels were positive for C. Pneumoniae out of which 16 segments [84.2%] had atherosclerosis and an equal or more than 3 in pathologic gradings. In the C. Pneumoniae positive patients, in comparison of the two groups comprising of patients with one or more risk factors, no statistically significant difference was seen [P>0.05]. This study opens up the path for management strategies in eradicating C. Pneumoniae, and decreasing morbidity, mortality secondary to atherosclerosis