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Failure to detect Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in cerebral aneursymal sac tissue with two different polymerase chain reaction methods

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey
² Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ege University School of Medicine
³ Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor N Oktar, Ege Üniversitesi Tip Fak Hast, Nörosirürji AbD, Bornova, lzmir TR35100, Turkey;
noktar{at}med.ege.edu.tr

Objective: Chlamydia pneumoniae (C pneumoniae) is a common cause of a usually mild, community acquired pneumonia. This organism, however, can spread from the respiratory tract into other parts of the body and has been detected in up to 70% of atheromatous lesions in blood vessels. Although the exact mechanism of the C Pneumoniae contribution to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains unknown, prophylactic antibiotic trials are planned for people at high risk for coronary disease.

Method: In this study the authors aimed to investigate C pneumoniae DNA content in the cerebral aneurysmal sac tissue with the aid of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. C pneumoniae DNA was searched in 15 surgically clipped and removed aneurysmal sac tissue and in two tumour (an ependymoma of the fourth ventricle and a craniofaringoma) samples by touchdown enzyme time release PCR (TETR PCR) targeting 16S rRNA gene and by nested PCR targeting ompA gene.

Results: Both PCR methods were sensitive to detect in C pneumoniae 4x10^-2 genomes. C pneumoniae DNA was not detected in any of the 17 sample tissues of these patients.

Conclusion: The contribution of C pneumoniae in the development of intracranial aneurysms cannot be excluded despite the results of this study. Further studies on the possible role of C pneumoniae or any other micro-organisms in the pathogenesis of aneurysms should be performed.

Keywords: cerebral aneurysm; polymerase chain reaction; chlamydia pneumoniae

Abbreviations: PCR, polymerase chain reaction; TETR PCR, touchdown enzyme time release polymerase chain reaction

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