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Cited by 106Oral microbiology and periodontitis researchAtherosclerosis and Cardiovascular DiseasesInfectious Aortic and Vascular Conditions

Impact of monocytic cells on recovery of uncultivable bacteria from atherosclerotic lesions: Live bacteria in atheromas

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Rafferty, B., Jönsson, D., Kalachikov, S., Demmer, R. T., Nowygrod, R., Elkind, M. S. V., Bush, H., Kozarov, E.·2011·Journal of Internal Medicine
DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02373.xPMC PMC3133811
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological evidence suggests that infections may contribute to atherogenesis. However, with the exception of Chlamydophila pneumoniae, cultivable bacteria have not been recovered from atherosclerotic lesions. Therefore, we aimed at developing an approach to recover uncultivable bacteria from atherectomy tissues. METHODS: We cultured homogenates from atherectomy specimens from seven nonseptic patients undergoing surgery for arterial obstruction either alone or together with THP-1 monocyte-like cells. We performed 16S rDNA analysis, biochemical tests, random amplification of polymorphic DNA PCR analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistofluorescence to identify the cultivated bacteria. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to determine whether THP-1 treatment yielded a higher number of isolates than did the untreated controls. RESULTS: We recovered more bacteria from cocultures of atherectomy specimens with THP-1 cells than atherectomy specimens cultured alone. On average, tissue homogenates incubated with THP-1 cells versus control yielded 124 vs. 22 colony-forming units, a median of 140 vs. 7, respectively (P = 0.02). We recovered 872 isolates of limited number of species, including Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus infantis and the fastidious anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis, and confirmed its presence in tissue using double immunofluorescence imaging. qPCR demonstrated the presence of ≥3.5 × 10(3) P. gingivalis genomes per gram of atheromatous tissue. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that viable previously uncultivable bacterial species are present within atheromas. Our results suggest revisiting the hypothesis that infections may have a causative role in atherosclerotic inflammation and have implications for research regarding novel diagnostics and treatments for cardiovascular disease.

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  • In atherothrombotic tissues, periodontal inflammation and viable bacteria have been found.

    “In atherothrombotic tissues, periodontal inflammation and viable bacteria have been found [18, 83, 84].”

    From Effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy on risk markers of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [84]

    The Results (page not available) report bacterial colonies recovered from atherectomy specimens and identify P. gingivalis in atherosclerotic plaque, supporting the finding of viable bacteria. The Discussion (page not available) says P. gingivalis is associated with periodontal inflammation, but does not report finding periodontal inflammation in the vascular tissue. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Rafferty, B., Jönsson, D., Kalachikov, S., Demmer, R. T., Nowygrod, R., Elkind, M. S. V., Bush, H., & Kozarov, E.
Affiliations
  • Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
  • Columbia University (US)
  • Plastic Surgery Hospital (CN)
  • Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
  • Cornell University (US)
Corresponding author
Kozarov, E.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Internal Medicine
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-04-11
Volume
270
Issue
3
Pages
273-280
ISSN
0954-6820 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02373.x
PMC
PMC3133811
OpenAlex
W1585611120
Cited by
106
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
6.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 1604 d)
Locations
  • Journal of Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
  • Malmö University Publications (Malmö University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL072002, HL72002)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R00DE018739)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Infectious Aortic and Vascular Conditions
Keywords
atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic plaque, THP-1 cells, bacterial recovery, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus infantis, bacterial co-culture, cardiovascular disease
MeSH terms
Aged, Bacteria, Cell Line, DNA, Bacterial, Female, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Monocytes, Propionibacterium acnes, Risk Factors, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus, Colony Count, Microbial, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Atherectomy, Coculture Techniques, Atherosclerosis, Plaque, Atherosclerotic

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