Heart Attacks May Be Contagious!

A bacteria, Chlamydia pneumoniae, may turn out to be another cause of heart attacks. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a frequent cause of flu-like symptoms and pneumonia. Some believe that this organism may cause up to 50 per cent of the heart attacks in the United States. Now don't start laughing. Remember the ulcer stories. Only 15 years ago people were laughing about Marshal's discovery that a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori could cause stomach ulcers.

Recent studies (1) have shown that people who have had heart attacks are also more likely to have antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae in their bloodstream when compared to people who haven't had any heart attacks. One study looked at 140 cases of myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death: 103 patients had provided serum samples three to six months before the event. Serum samples were also available from 103 controls who had not had a heart attack during the study. Samples were analyzed for the presence antibodies in their bloodstream that reacted with Chlamydia pneumoniae. Patients who had cardiac events were significantly more likely than controls to have higher amounts of antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae before the event.

Other scientists have found Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerotic lesions of coronary arteries and aorta. They conclude that Chlamydia pneumoniae are frequently found in the advanced carotid atherosclerotic lesions.

In another study, the researchers experimentally infected rabbits with Chlamydia pneumoniae. The animals were reinfected three weeks later and after an additional two to four weeks they were checked for indications of coronary heart disease (CHD). Of nine rabbits tested, six showed signs consistent with CHD.

Although these findings do not establish causality for Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerosis, they should stimulate researchers to better understand this association.

For more information:

Go to Heartinfo News. Here is another article from the same place.

Take Care and Think Microbiologically!

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