Objectives: A growing body of epidemiologic, experimental, and clinical data implicates infection including that associated with chronic periodontitis as a risk factor for atherosclerosis leading to coronary vascular disease and stroke. In the present study, we identified and compared microorganisms found in 138 atheromas obtained by carotid endarterectomy in German subjects and on 61 balloons following angioplasty in Brazilian subjects. Materials and Methods: The samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA. The amplified bacterial 16S rDNA was probed in a Southern blot assay with oligonucleotides specific for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Campylobacter rectus. Results: Seventy-five percent of the German atheroma samples were positive for bacteria, 21% for C. pneumoniae, 33% for HCMV, and 36% for HSV. Twenty-seven percent of all these samples were positive for P. gingivalis, 16% for A. actinomycetemcomitans, 26% for B. forsythus, 22% for P. intermedia, and 10% for C. rectus. Eighty percent of the balloon samples from the angioplasties in the Brazilian subjects were positive for bacteria, 34% for C. pneumoniae, 13% for HCMV, and 28% for HSV. Twenty-nine percent of the balloons were positive for P. gingivalis, 8% for A. actinomycetemcomitans, 20% for B. forsythus, 22% for P. intermedia and 25% for C. rectus. Conclusion: There were no qualitative differences found for the target microorganisms between carotid endarterectomy samples and balloon angioplasty samples from the geographically disparate populations. This data suggests that there is little difference in the target microorganisms associated with atheromas in these populations.

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