Infection and temporal arteritis: a PCR-based study to detect pathogens in temporal artery biopsy specimens.

The possibility of infectious triggers stimulating the development of inflammatory vascular diseases has generated much recent interest. This study uses PCR to detect the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae, parvovirus B19 and all the human herpes viruses except HHV8 in temporal artery biopsy specimens. Samples from 37 temporal artery biopsies with histological evidence of arteritis and 66 samples from histologically negative temporal artery biopsies, all from different patients, were negative for C. pneumoniae, HSV, VZV, EBV, and HHV7 DNA. Two of the 37 histologically positive specimens were positive for HHV6, another two for CMV and a further two for parvovirus B19 DNA. Parvovirus B19 DNA was also detected in five histologically negative biopsies, one positive for HCMV DNA and a further one was positive for HHV6 DNA. There is no statistically significant difference to the presence of virus DNA in the two types of specimens (P = 0.538). This study does not support a role for C. pneumoniae, parvovirus B19 or human herpes viruses in the pathogenesis of temporal arteritis.