Oral pathogens, including periodontopathic bacteria, are thought to be aetiological factors in the development of cardiovascular disease. In this study, the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum-periodonticum-simiae group, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens and Tannerella forsythia in atheromatous plaques from coronary arteries was determined by real-time PCR. Forty-four patients displaying cardiovascular disease were submitted to periodontal examination and endarterectomy of coronary arteries. Approximately 60-100 mg atherosclerotic tissue was removed surgically and DNA was obtained. Quantitative detection of periodontopathic bacteria was performed using universal and species-specific TaqMan probe/primer sets. Total bacterial and periodontopathic bacterial DNA were found in 94.9 and 92.3 %, respectively, of the atheromatous plaques from periodontitis patients, and in 80.0 and 20.0 %, respectively, of atherosclerotic tissues from periodontally healthy subjects. All periodontal bacteria except for the F. nucleatum-periodonticum-simiae group were detected, and their DNA represented 47.3 % of the total bacterial DNA obtained from periodontitis patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia were detected most often. The presence of two or more periodontal species could be observed in 64.1 % of the samples. In addition, even in samples in which a single periodontal species was detected, additional unidentified microbial DNA could be observed. The significant number of periodontopathic bacterial DNA species in atherosclerotic tissue samples from patients with periodontitis suggests that the presence of these micro-organisms in coronary lesions is not coincidental and that they may in fact contribute to the development of vascular diseases. INTRODUCTIONAtherosclerosis has been defined as a progressive process that causes focal thickening of large-to medium-sized muscular and large elastic arteries (Pucar et al., 2007). In addition, several risk factors have been associated with its progression, such as hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, marked obesity, smoking, physical inactivity and chronic bacterial infection (Taylor-Robinson et al., 2002;Pucar et al., 2007). The development of atheromatous plaques seems to be relevant to cardiovascular disease as a result of endothelial cell damage and by maintenance of the inflammatory reactions in the walls of blood vessels (Libby et al., 2002).Studies have demonstrated a close association between cardiovascular disease and periodontitis, and oral hygiene and periodontal status are closely related to the occurrence of heart attacks (Kozarov et al., 2006;Aimetti et al., 2007; Johansson et al., 2008). A relationship between periodontal status and cardiovascular diseases has been suggested, where the periodontium represents the source of inflammatory mediators, in addition to micro-organisms systemically disseminated by the blood flow (Li et al., 2000).Consid...

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Background: The periodontal disease during pregnancy of women with rheumatic valve disease imply infective endocarditis risks and higher rate of preterm birth and low birth weight.

Ao Prof. Titular Francisco Emílio Pustiglioni, pelos ensinamentos transmitidos de forma competente e a oportunidade de integrar este curso. Aos Professores da Disciplina de Periodontia da FOUSP, Prof. Dr. Roberto Fraga Moreira Lotufo (in memoriam), Prof. Ass. Giorgio de Micheli, Prof. Ass. Luiz Antônio Pugliesi Alves de Lima, Prof. Dr. Marco Antônio P. Georgetti, Prof. Dr. Cláudio Mendes Pannuti, que muito me ensinaram enriquecendo sobremaneira meus conhecimentos em Periodontia. Aos meus colegas, amigos queridos de pós-graduação: Marcio Seto Yu Yuen e Giovane H. Gomes, obrigada pela nossa amizade, pelo companheirismo e, colaborando efetivamente para que o nosso objetivo fosse realizado. À minha querida Prof. de Inglês, Andrea Cristofaro, você faz parte desta conquista; muito obrigada.