LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR A PATHOGENIC ROLE OF CHLAMYDIA-PNEUMONIAE AND CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN CORONARY ATHEROMA FORMATION

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is generally accepted to be the result of metabolic disturbances. However, recent studies have sugges ted an infectious agent, especially Chlamydia pneumoniae or cytomegalo virus, to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Atherosc lerotic plaque specimens obtained from patients with coronary disease either by balloon dilatation catheter (13 cases) or atherectomy (16 pa tients) were examined for the presence of C. pneumoniae and cytomegalo virus. Using two primer pairs for C. pneumoniae, two primer pairs for the identification of unknown bacteria and primer pairs for the detect ion of immediate early gene E2 and the late genomic region of cytomega lovirus, we were unable to detect the suspected agents. The absence of C. pneumoniae, other bacteria and CMV in coronary atheromas is agains t the hypothesis of a pathogenetic role of these agents in coronary at heroma formation in the patients studied.