CHLAMYDIA-PNEUMONIAE INFECTION INDUCES INFLAMMATORY CHANGES IN THE AORTAS OF RABBITS

Chlamydia pneumoniae, a common human respiratory pathogen, has been as sociated with atherosclerosis in several seroepidemiological studies. Moreover, its presence in lesions of vessel walls has been demonstrate d by culture, immunohistochemistry, PCR, and electron microscopy. In t his study, we infected intranasally with C. pneumoniae New Zealand Whi te rabbits which had been fed a normal diet. Reinfection was given 3 w eeks later. Six of the nine reinfected animals showed inflammatory cha nges consisting of intimal thickening or fibroid plaques resembling at herosclerosis in 2 to 4 weeks after reinfection. One rabbit had calcif ied lesions. Immunohistochemistry for C. pneumoniae was strongly posit ive in the three older affected animals. No lesions were seen in the c ontrols. The results suggest that C. pneumoniae infection is capable o f inducing inflammatory atherosclerosis-like changes in the aortas of infected rabbits.