Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Nov 17:10:706.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-706.

The influence of persistent pathogens on circulating levels of inflammatory markers: a cross-sectional analysis from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Aydin Nazmi  1 , Ana V Diez-Roux, Nancy S Jenny, Michael Y Tsai, Moyses Szklo, Allison E Aiello
Affiliations

The influence of persistent pathogens on circulating levels of inflammatory markers: a cross-sectional analysis from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Aydin Nazmi et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Systemic inflammation is linked to cardiovascular risk, but the influence of persistent pathogens, which are conventionally dichotomously categorized, on circulating levels of inflammatory markers is not clear. Antibody levels of pathogens have not been examined in relation to inflammation.

Methods: Using data from a subsample of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, we examined circulating levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen in relation to five common persistent pathogens: cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, Hepatitis A virus, Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae. We tested the hypothesis that the number of seropositive pathogens (based on conventional cut-off points) would not be as sensitive a marker of inflammation as immune response measured by antibody levels to pathogens.

Results: High antibody response to multiple pathogens showed graded and significant associations with IL-6 (p < 0.001), CRP (p = 0.04) and fibrinogen (p = 0.001), whereas seropositive pathogen burden did not. In multiple linear regression models, high antibody response to multiple pathogens maintained a positive association only with IL-6 (4.4% per pathogen exhibiting high antibody response, 95% CI 0.0-8.9).

Conclusions: High antibody response to pathogens was a more consistent marker of inflammatory outcomes compared to seropositivity alone and high antibody response to multiple pathogens was a stronger marker compared to any single pathogen.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen by seropositive pathogen burden in a sub-sample of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2000-2002). P values for trend by linear regression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen by high antibody response to multiple pathogens in a sub-sample of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (2000-2002). P values for trend by linear regression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Nieto FJ, Adam E, Sorlie P, Farzadegan H, Melnick JL, Comstock GW, Szklo M. Cohort Study of Cytomegalovirus Infection as a Risk Factor for Carotid Intimal-Medial Thickening, a Measure of Subclinical Atherosclerosis. Circulation. 1996;94(5):922–927. - PubMed
    1. Sorlie PD, Adam E, Melnick SL, Folsom A, Skelton T, Chambless LE, Barnes R, Melnick JL. Cytomegalovirus/herpesvirus and carotid atherosclerosis: The ARIC study. J Med Virol. 1994;42(1):33–37. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890420107. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhu J, Quyyumi AA, Norman JE, Costello R, Csako G, Epstein SE. The Possible Role of Hepatitis A Virus in the Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis. J Infect Dis. 2000;182(6):1583–1587. doi: 10.1086/317613. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Prasad A, Zhu J, Halcox JPJ, Waclawiw MA, Epstein SE, Quyyumi AA. Predisposition to Atherosclerosis by Infections: Role of Endothelial Dysfunction. Circulation. 2002;106(2):184–190. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000021125.83697.21. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Haider AW, Wilson PWF, Larson MG, Evans JC, Michelson EL, Wolf PA, O'Donnell CJ, Levy D. The association of seropositivity to Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and cytomegalovirus with risk of cardiovascular disease: A prospective study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002;40(8):1408–1413. doi: 10.1016/S0735-1097(02)02272-6. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types