Bacterial signatures in atherosclerotic lesions represent human commensals and pathogens

Atherosclerosis. 2008 Nov;201(1):192-7. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.01.006. Epub 2008 Mar 14.

Abstract

Background: Various studies have suggested the involvement of infectious agents in chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. By using a novel subtraction broad-range PCR approach, we defined bacterial DNA signatures in surgically removed sterile abdominal aorta samples of patients with aortic atherosclerosis.

Methods: Partial bacterial 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences were determined using broad-range PCR from aortic samples of 20 patients, and from appropriate methodological controls. In all, 160 sequences from 16 clone libraries were studied.

Results: After subtraction analysis 16 clinically relevant bacterial sequence-types were identified among the patient samples, whereas 29 were discarded as potential methodological contaminants. On average 2.2+/-1.2 different bacterial sequence-types were present in the nine true PCR-positive atheroma samples.

Conclusions: Many studies have reported the presence of a variety of bacterial sequences from atherosclerotic lesions. However, the results obtained with these PCR technologies may have been skewed by methodological contaminants. After our subtraction approach, 63% of the remaining sequence-types from sites of aortic atherosclerosis were related to those of known human pathogens. This may imply that advanced atherosclerotic plaques accumulate bacterial DNA.

Publication types

  • Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aorta, Abdominal
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / microbiology
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / pathology
  • Aortic Diseases / microbiology*
  • Aortic Diseases / pathology
  • Atherosclerosis / microbiology*
  • Atherosclerosis / pathology
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification*
  • DNA, Ribosomal / isolation & purification*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S