Periodontopathogen‐ and Host‐Derived Immune Response in Acute Coronary Syndrome

Owing to molecular mimicry, periodontal pathogen carriage may result in a systemic cross‐reactive immune response with the host. The analyses were performed to investigate if serum antibody levels to human heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) are associated with the antibody levels and salivary carriage of two periodontal pathogens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, as well as with the dental status in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ACS patients (n = 141) were monitored at baseline when entering to hospital, and after 1 week, 3 months and 1 year. Periodontal status was recorded by dental radiographs, and A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis were detected by PCR from saliva at baseline. Serum IgG and IgA antibody levels were determined at all time points. All antibody levels remained quite stable during the follow‐up. Serum IgG‐class antibody levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans and HSP60 had a strong positive correlation with each other at all time points (r∼0.4, P