Human oral, gut, and plaque microbiota in patients with atherosclerosis

Periodontal disease has been associated with atherosclerosis, suggesting that bacteria from the oral cavity may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, the gut microbiota may affect obesity, which is associated with atherosclerosis. Using qPCR, we show that bacterial DNA was present in the atherosclerotic plaque and that the amount of DNA correlated with the amount of leukocytes in the atherosclerotic plaque. To investigate the microbial composition of atherosclerotic plaques and test the hypothesis that the oral or gut microbiota may contribute to atherosclerosis in humans, we used 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes to survey the bacterial diversity of…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: 0958184
• HH
  Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• HF
  Hartwell Foundation
• AG
  Australian Government
• SF
  Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning
• V
  Vetenskapsrådet
• SU
  Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset
• GU
  Göteborgs Universitet
• NI
  National Institutes of Health