The Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori and Cytomegalovirus in Non-Atherosclerotic Arteries of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Dalila Šačić; Uroš Tomić; Jelena Milašin; Svetozar Putnik; Milena Jovanović; Sanja Radojević Škodrić; Sofija Glumac

doi:10.3390/pathogens13110927

The Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori and Cytomegalovirus in Non-Atherosclerotic Arteries of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Pathogens. 2024 Oct 25;13(11):927. doi: 10.3390/pathogens13110927.

Authors

Dalila Šačić^{1

2}, Uroš Tomić³, Jelena Milašin⁴, Svetozar Putnik^{2

5}, Milena Jovanović⁶, Sanja Radojević Škodrić⁶, Sofija Glumac⁶

Affiliations

¹ Cardiology Department, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
² Belgrade Medical Faculty, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
³ Clinic for Periodontology and Oral Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁴ Department of Human Genetics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁵ Cardiac-Surgery Department, University Clinical Center of Serbia, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

Abstract

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ACAD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, characterized as an inflammatory process due to damage to blood vessel walls by risk factors like aging, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, smoking, and diabetes. Infectious agents, including Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Helicobacter pylori (HP), have been implicated in ACAD's pathophysiology. A study with 56 subjects undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) aimed to detect Cpn, CMV, and HP DNA in unaffected artery segments and explore associations with disease progression and inflammation markers. The study found infectious agents' DNA in 21.4% of samples, HP in eight samples, and CMV and Cpn in four samples each. Significant correlations were observed between HP and overweight or obese subjects, as well as between the presence of infectious agents and inflammation marker values. An association between HP and renal function was also noted. The findings reaffirm previous discoveries of infectious agents in non-clinically affected arteries used as CABG grafts. Correlations identified between the presence of HP, CMV, and Cpn DNA in grafts and several biomarkers of inflammation and obesity emphasize the potential role of these infectious agents in ACAD pathogenesis.

Keywords: Chlamydia pneumonia; Cytomegalovirus; Helicobacter pylori; aorta; atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; infection; inflammation; internal mammary artery.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by Grant No. 451-03-47/2023-01/200129 of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.