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Failure to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae in calcific and degenerative arteriosclerotic aortic valves excised during open heart surgery
Author(s) -
ANDREASEN JAN JESPER,
FARHOLT STENSE,
JENSEN JØRGEN SKOV
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1998.tb00217.x
Subject(s) - chlamydia , medicine , cardiology , chlamydophila pneumoniae , chlamydiaceae , aortic valve , aortic valve replacement , chlamydiales , stenosis , immunology
Chlamydia pneumoniae has been associated with atherosclerosis, although no causal association has been established. Employing culture and polymerase chain reaction in aortic valves with calcific and degenerative arteriosclerotic changes from 23 non‐consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, C. pneumoniae was not detected in any of the valves. 19/22 patients had serological evidence of past infection with C. pneumoniae. Our findings do not provide supportive evidence for the hypothesis that C. pneumoniae is associated with calcific or degenerative arteriosclerotic aortic heart valve disease.