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Science 26 February 1999:
Vol. 283. no. 5406, pp. 1238 - 1239
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5406.1238
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News of the Week

IMMUNOLOGY:
Chlamydia Protein Linked to Heart Disease

Trisha Gura

Over the past year, evidence has been accumulating that molecular mimicry, in which immune responses triggered by an invading pathogen mistakenly attack the body's own tissues, cause diseases such as an eye inflammation and Lyme arthritis. Results reported on page 1335 now suggest that one of the most common serious illnesses--heart disease--may be added to the list. Working in mice, the researchers have shown that Chlamydia bacteria, which cause infections of the genital and respiratory tracts, carry a peptide that resembles one in the heart protein myosin and triggers a strong inflammatory attack on the heart. If something similar occurs in human beings and the inflammation also plays a role in the formation of the artery-clogging plaques of atherosclerosis--two big ifs--the work may provide a molecular explanation for a long-suspected link between infections and heart disease.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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From the Cover: Changes in the prevalence of chronic disability in the United States black and nonblack population above age 65 from 1982 to 1999.
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