Human Parvovirus B19 Infection in Patients with Coronary Atherosclerosis

Received 27 April 2009; accepted 31 August 2009.

Background and Aims

The identification of possible pathogens for an infectious etiology of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is an expanding field. The present study was undertaken to explore the role of parvovirus B19, a potent infectious agent.

Methods

A total of 565 patients were analyzed (90 patients with CAD, and 475 controls). Serologic analysis for human paravovirus B19 (B19) specific IgM and IgG was carried out in all patients. In addition, tissue specimens were obtained from five patients who received heart transplants. Direct in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocytochemistry were performed in the samples to localize B19 DNA.

Results

Enzyme immunoassay showed that the seropositive rate of anti-B19 IgG in patients with CAD was 1.5- to 2.7-fold more frequent than in healthy controls. Clinical characteristics did not affect the prevalence of seropositivity for B19. However, anti-B19 IgM and B19-specific DNA were not detected in healthy or individuals with CAD. Furthermore, nonradioactive in situ PCR found that the majority of B19-specific DNA was located in the endothelial cells of the thickened intima.

Conclusions

Our results first demonstrate a seroepidemiological and histopathological association between chronic B19 infection and CAD, suggesting that B19 infection may have a potential role in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.

(ARCMED-D-09-00172)

Key Words: Human parvovirus B19, Coronary artery disease, Atherosclerosis

a Division of Cardiology, Min-Sheng Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

b Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

c Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine Yun-Lin Branch, Yun-Lin, Taiwan

d Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Kwei-Shan Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

e Department of Pathology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

f Department of Medical Technology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

g Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

h Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Address reprint requests to: Dr. Chuen-Den Tseng, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Medical College, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan; Phone: 886-2-23123456, ext. 3951; FAX: 886-2-23935346

∗ These authors contributed equally to this work.

PII: S0188-4409(09)00152-0

doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2009.09.002

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