Failure to demonstrate Chlamydia pneumoniae in symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Objective: To investigate whether Chlamydia pneumoniae is present in symptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Method and materials: After optimisation of DNA extraction procedures an inhibitor-controlled nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifying fragments of the gene encoding the C. pneumoniae specific major outer membrane protein was performed on 124 wall-specimens from 20 patients with symptomatic AAA. Results: None of the specimens contained C. pneumoniae-specific DNA. Minor inhibition of the PCR was noticed especially in media specimens. Conclusion: Using a sensitive and specific nested PCR, we were not able to detect C. pneumoniae in symptomatic AAA. The failure to detect C. pneumoniae in symptomatic AAA, combined with previously reported positive findings in atherosclerotic lesions, supports the hypothesis that AAA and atherosclerosis might be two different disease entities.