EVIDENCE OF TYPE-2 HERPES-SIMPLEX INFECTION IN HUMAN CORONARY-ARTERIES AT THE TIME OF CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY

OBJECTIVE: To examine histologically biopsies from the coronary arteri es of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for e vidence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) anti gen and to correlate the incidence with pathological and clinical data . DESIGN: Sequential patients undergoing CABG in whom adequate tissue could be obtained for histology. SETTING: University teaching hospital . PATIENTS: Forty-six patients were enrolled. Thirty-one provided suff icient tissue and clinical information for the analysis. METHODS: Biop sy material was collected in the operating room and prepared immediate ly for histology and electron microscopy. Slides were prepared by stai ning with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome, avidin biotin compl ex immunoperoxidase for HSV-1 and HSV-2 protein and specific DNA probe s for HSV-1 and HSV-2 by hybridization. Clinical data were obtained in structured interviews. RESULTS: Sixty-one per cent of biopsies demons trated evidence of inflammation, 45% were positive for antigen to HSV- 2 and only one to HSV-1. Significant positive correlations were detect ed between inflammatory cells in the biopsy and a recent history of co ld sores and between the presence of the infiltrate and positivity to HSV-2 antigen. CONCLUSION: A correlation exists between HSV-2 infectio n and the inflammatory response associated with atherosclerosis.