Common
phenomenon
Gum disease,
cardio disease link shared in developed nations career in field
By
LOIS BAKER
Contributing Editor
A
study of a group of Germans conducted by researchers in the School of
Dental Medicine suggests that the relationship between gum disease and
cardiovascular disease may be a common phenomenon in developed countries.
The
study, presented today at the International Association of Dental Research
(IADR) meeting in San Diego, found periodontal disease bacteria in samples
of fatty plaque removed from the carotid arteries of 106 German subjects
undergoing a procedure to unclog the large arteries in the neck.
The
bacteria were the same types as those found in carotid plaque from an
earlier study of U.S. residents.
In
a related study using a subset of samples from the German cohort, rather
than looking for evidence of particular oral bacteria using specific
probes, researchers cast a broad net, gathering many pieces of DNA and
matched their gene sequences with known pathogens.
They
identified a number of different bacteria in the carotid samples, a
finding that supports the "infectious burden" hypothesis proposed by
scientists, which postulates a relationship between the number of infections
an individual experiences and the risk for developing atherosclerotic
plaques.
UB
dental researchers have been at the forefront of research showing a
link between the bacterial inflammation of periodontal disease and coronary
disease. They currently are involved in a $7.3 million effort funded
by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to plan
and conduct a pilot study for a clinical trial of the impact of periodontal
disease treatment on prevention of second heart attacks.
Samples
of plaque for both studies were obtained from patients with chronic
periodontal disease who were undergoing endarterectomy, the process
of cleaning away fatty plaque from the walls of the carotid arteries,
the large vessels on either side of in the neck.
The
initial study targeted specific bacteriaChlamydia pneumoniae,
human cytomegalovirus, and Herpes simplexin 138 samples
from 106 German subjects (29 women and 77 men) between the ages 43-89.
Analysis showed that 75 percent of the samples contained one or more
of the targeted bacteria and that 56 percent were positive for specific
oral bacteria.
Nearly
all of the plaque samples showed moderate to high levels of C-reactive
protein, a marker for inflammatory activity associated with bacterial
infection and the development of atherosclerosis.
"We
weren't surprised to find periodontal bacteria in the carotid arteries
of this German cohort, but we expected some variation from those found
in our U.S. cohorts," said Violet Haraszthy, assistant professor in
the School of Dental Medicine and lead author on the study. "This is
an entirely different population with a different genetic profile.
"But
we found the same bacteria, which supports our earlier studies indicating
that oral infection plays a role in atherogenesis."
The
study of pathogenic burden involved samples from seven participants
in the larger group.
"We
wanted to find out what else was there, and we found evidence for the
presence of a number of different bacteria," said Joseph Zambon, professor
of periodontics in the dental school and senior author of this study.
"Did
these bacteria cause the plaque to develop, or did the bacteria just
get trapped in the fatty deposits already forming? We don't know that
yet," he said. "But the finding does support the idea that there may
be many organisms involved in atheromas. And our data suggests that
certain kinds of oral bacteria are more important than others," Zambon
noted.
Additional
researchers on the studies were Margaret Zambon and Shawn Jordan, graduate
students and research aides in the UB School of Dental Medicine; Gregor
Zafiropoulos from Berlin Free University, and Nick Mastragelopulos of
City Hospital, Heinsberg, Germany.