Is c. pneumoniae likely to be the only pathogen involved in atherosclerosis?
Multiple infections of atherosclerotic plaques may be present (Epstein et al, 1999;Chiu, 1999;Zhu et al, 2000). Serum levels of high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), an acute phase reactant, correlated well with the total pathogen burden or number of chronic endogenous pathogens and coronary artery risk (Zhu et al, 2000). In a much larger study, the levels of hs-CRP were as accurate a predictor of coronary artery disease in a long-term study of the coronary risk factors as cholesterol and lipid profile in a population of nurses (Ricker et al, 2000).
