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
. 2013;8(1):e54461.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054461. Epub 2013 Jan 25.

Blood microbiota dysbiosis is associated with the onset of cardiovascular events in a large general population: the D.E.S.I.R. study

Jacques Amar  1 , Céline Lange, Gaëlle Payros, Celine Garret, Chantal Chabo, Olivier Lantieri, Michael Courtney, Michel Marre, Marie Aline Charles, Beverley Balkau, Rémy Burcelin; D.E.S.I.R. Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Blood microbiota dysbiosis is associated with the onset of cardiovascular events in a large general population: the D.E.S.I.R. study

Jacques Amar et al. PLoS One. 2013.

Abstract

Aim: We recently described a human blood microbiome and a connection between this microbiome and the onset of diabetes. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between blood microbiota and incident cardiovascular disease.

Methods and results: D.E.S.I.R. is a longitudinal study with the primary aim of describing the natural history of the metabolic syndrome and its complications. Participants were evaluated at inclusion and at 3-, 6-, and 9-yearly follow-up visits. The 16S ribosomal DNA bacterial gene sequence, that is common to the vast majority of bacteria (Eubac) and a sequence that mostly represents Proteobacteria (Pbac), were measured in blood collected at baseline from 3936 participants. 73 incident cases of acute cardiovascular events, including 30 myocardial infarctions were recorded. Eubac was positively correlated with Pbac (r = 0.59; P<0.0001). In those destined to have cardiovascular complications, Eubac was lower (0.14±0.26 vs 0.12±0.29 ng/µl; P = 0.02) whereas a non significant increase in Pbac was observed. In multivariate Cox analysis, Eubac was inversely correlated with the onset of cardiovascular complications, (hazards ratio 0.50 95% CI 0.35-0.70) whereas Pbac (1.56, 95%CI 1.12-2.15) was directly correlated.

Conclusion: Pbac and Eubac were shown to be independent markers of the risk of cardiovascular disease. This finding is evidence for the new concept of the role played by blood microbiota dysbiosis on atherothrombotic disease. This concept may help to elucidate the relation between bacteria and cardiovascular disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors received funding from commercial sources: Lilly, Novartis Pharma and Sanofi-Aventis, Ardix Medical, Bayer Diagnostics, Becton Dickinson, Cardionics, Merck Santé, Novo Nordisk, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Topcon. The authors also declare that Remy Burcelin, Chantal Chabo, Beverley Balkau and Jacques Amar are listed as coinventors on patents held by the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) that relate to the use of bacterial DNA in metabolic diseases. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Proteobacteria phylum within blood microbiota.
Box and wisker plot, showing medians (dot in middle of box, quartiles at end of box, and as wiskers the extremes), of Eucbacteria: 16S ribosomal DNA gene sequences common to the vast majority of bacteria phyla (Eubac) according to Pbac: 16S ribosomal DNA sequences that belong to the Proteobacteria phylum (both variables are log transformed).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Adjusted Hazard ratio of having primary cardiovascular outcome by tertiles of Eubacteria (Eubac) and Proteobacteria (Pbac).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Carandang R, Seshadri S, Beiser A, Kelly-Hayes M, Kase CS, et al. (2006) Trends in incidence, lifetime risk, severity, and 30-day mortality of stroke over the past 50 years. JAMA 296: 2939–2946. - PubMed
    1. Yeh RW, Sidney S, Chandra M, Sorel M, Selby JV, et al. (2010) Population trends in the incidence and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 362: 2155–2165. - PubMed
    1. Blacher J, Evans A, Arveiler D, Amouyel P, Ferrières J, et al. (2004) PRIME Study Group. Residual coronary risk in men aged 50–59 years treated for hypertension and hyperlipidaemia in the population: the PRIME study. J Hypertens 22: 415–423. - PubMed
    1. Helfand M, Buckley DI, Freeman M, Fu R, Rogers K, et al. (2009) Emerging risk factors for coronary heart disease: a summary of systematic reviews conducted for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 151: 496–497. - PubMed
    1. Gilbert A, Lion G (1889) Artérites infectieuses expérimentales. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances et Mémoires de la Société de Biologie 41: 583–584.

Publication types

MeSH terms