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Prevalence of viable Chlamydia pneumoniae in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy blood donors
Author(s) -
Yamaguchi Hiroyuki,
Yamada Masako,
Uruma Tomonori,
Kanamori Masato,
Goto Hajime,
Yamamoto Yoshimasa,
Kamiya Shigeru
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/j.1537-2995.2004.04005.x
Subject(s) - chlamydia , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , chlamydiaceae , chlamydophila pneumoniae , biology , immunology , antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , in vitro , biochemistry
BACKGROUND: Demonstration of viable Chlamydia (Chlamydophila) pneumoniae in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) is essential to understand the involvement of C. pneumoniae in atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, the prevalence of viable C. pneumoniae in the blood of healthy donors has not yet been studied. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The presence of C. pneumoniae transcript in PBMNCs from blood of healthy human donors was assessed by real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) with primers for C. pneumoniae 16S rRNA, which is more sensitive than genomic‐DNA‐based analysis, and by the use of staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate‐conjugated chlamydia monoclonal antibody (MoAb). RESULTS: Thirteen of 70 donors (18.5%) showed the presence of bacterial transcript in cultured PBMNCs. The prevalence of bacterial detection and bacterial numbers was significantly increased in PBMNC cultures incubated with cycloheximide. Immunostaining of PBMNCs with antichlamydial MoAb also revealed the presence of bacterial antigen in the PBMNCs judged as positive. Nevertheless, cultivation of C. pneumoniae from all PCR‐positive donors was unsuccessful. There was no signifi‐cant correlation between the presence of chlamydia and either sex or current smoking habits. A possible age variation, however, in the presence of chlamydia in blood of healthy donors was suggested by the results obtained. CONCLUSION: The bacterial transcripts in PBMNCs obtained from healthy donors were detected by the RT‐PCR method. Viable C. pneumoniae may be present in healthy human PBMNCs.