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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jmm.0.013383-0v1 58/12/1568    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Gaetti-Jardim, E. Articles by Avila-Campos, M. J. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gaetti-Jardim, E., Jr Articles by Avila-Campos, M. J. Agricola Articles by Gaetti-Jardim, E. Articles by Avila-Campos, M. J.

Quantitative detection of periodontopathic bacteria in atherosclerotic plaques from coronary arteries

¹ Anaerobe Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

² Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Correspondence
Mario J. Avila-Campos
mariojac{at}usp.br

Received June 3, 2009
Accepted August 6, 2009

Oral pathogens, including periodontopathic bacteria, are thought to be aetiological factors in the development of cardiovascular disease. In this study, the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum–periodonticum–simiae group, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens and Tannerella forsythia in atheromatous plaques from coronary arteries was determined by real-time PCR. Forty-four patients displaying cardiovascular disease were submitted to periodontal examination and endarterectomy of coronary arteries. Approximately 60–100 mg atherosclerotic tissue was removed surgically and DNA was obtained. Quantitative detection of periodontopathic bacteria was performed using universal and species-specific TaqMan probe/primer sets. Total bacterial and periodontopathic bacterial DNA were found in 94.9 and 92.3 %, respectively, of the atheromatous plaques from periodontitis patients, and in 80.0 and 20.0 %, respectively, of atherosclerotic tissues from periodontally healthy subjects. All periodontal bacteria except for the F. nucleatum–periodonticum–simiae group were detected, and their DNA represented 47.3 % of the total bacterial DNA obtained from periodontitis patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia were detected most often. The presence of two or more periodontal species could be observed in 64.1 % of the samples. In addition, even in samples in which a single periodontal species was detected, additional unidentified microbial DNA could be observed. The significant number of periodontopathic bacterial DNA species in atherosclerotic tissue samples from patients with periodontitis suggests that the presence of these micro-organisms in coronary lesions is not coincidental and that they may in fact contribute to the development of vascular diseases.