Chlamydia, inflammation, and atherogenesis.

Etiology of vascular related infection

Atherosclerosis is probably generated and its progress certainly sustained by chronic inflammation process. In this connection, several studies are actually considering infection as another possible co-factor of atherosclerosis development. Viral and bacterial pathogens have long been suspected to affect atherogenesis directly.. Helicobacter pylori, some viruses and, particularly, Chlamydia pne...

Inflammation and infections as risk factors for ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND Inflammatory processes have fundamental roles in stroke in both the etiology of ischemic cerebrovascular disease and the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia. We summarize clinical data on infection and inflammation as risk or trigger factors for human stroke and investigate current evidence for the hypothesis of a functional interrelation between traditional risk factors, genetic pr...

The role of inflammation and infection in coronary artery disease.

New insights into atherosclerosis, the most common disease affecting coronary arteries, may change therapeutic strategies from largely symptomatic to causal. Atherosclerotic plaques contain a lipid-related, immune-mediated inflammation, with release of secretory products capable of changing plaque morphology. Plaques prone to complications contain large numbers of inflammatory cells; stable pla...

Acellular components of Chlamydia pneumoniae stimulate cytokine production in human blood mononuclear cells.

Accumulating evidence suggest that infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with atherosclerosis, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Inflammation is important in the initial phase of atherogenesis, and cytokines are important in the initiation and progression of inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the capacity of acellular components of C. pneumoniae to stimulate...

Genotyping of Endocervical Chlamydia trachomatis Strains and Detection of Serological Markers of Acute and Chronic Inflammation in Their Host

Inflammation, infection, and cardiovascular risk: how good is the clinical evidence?

Despite substantial gains in the prevention and treatment of acute myocardial infarction, many atherothrombotic events occur among individuals without readily apparent risk factors. Several lines of basic research indicate that inflammation and perhaps chronic infection may play important roles in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. For example, pathological studies demonstrate t...