Taylor-Robinson D, Thomas B J
Department of Genitourinary Medicine and Communicable Diseases, Imperial College School of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London W2 1NY, UK.
J Infect Dis. 2000 Jun;181 Suppl 3:S437-40. doi: 10.1086/315614.
The majority of almost 30 publications from 1992 to 1999 describe Chlamydia pneumoniae organisms in atherosclerotic lesions of various major arteries. In the first study in the United Kingdom, C. pneumoniae was found in the aorta and femoral and iliac arteries. In a subsequent study, the organism was detected in arteries of subjects as young as 15 years. In a collaborative investigation, 71% of atheromatous arteries taken at autopsy from white South African subjects were C. pneumoniae positive compared with 9% of nonatheromatous arteries. Of interest, the organisms were detected in 67% of vessels that showed only early atherosclerotic lesions (fatty streaks). C. pneumoniae was also found in the ruptured coronary artery plaque of a black South African who died of myocardial infarction, a rare event. The presence of C. pneumoniae organisms within foam and smooth muscle cells of atherosclerotic plaques is beyond doubt, but their role in atherosclerosis remains enigmatic.
1992年至1999年间近30篇出版物中的大多数都描述了肺炎衣原体在各种主要动脉粥样硬化病变中的存在情况。在英国的第一项研究中，在主动脉、股动脉和髂动脉中发现了肺炎衣原体。在随后的一项研究中，在年仅15岁的受试者的动脉中检测到了这种微生物。在一项合作调查中，从南非白人受试者尸检中获取的动脉粥样硬化动脉中有71%肺炎衣原体呈阳性，而非动脉粥样硬化动脉中这一比例为9%。有趣的是，在仅表现为早期动脉粥样硬化病变（脂纹）的血管中，67%检测到了这种微生物。在一名死于心肌梗死的南非黑人的破裂冠状动脉斑块中也发现了肺炎衣原体，这是一个罕见的情况。肺炎衣原体微生物在动脉粥样硬化斑块的泡沫细胞和平滑肌细胞中的存在是毋庸置疑的，但其在动脉粥样硬化中的作用仍然成谜。
