Systemic Antibodies to the Leukotoxin of the Oral Pathogen <i>Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans</i> Correlate Negatively with Stroke in Women

Vol. 20, No. 4, 2005

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Original Paper

Systemic Antibodies to the Leukotoxin of the Oral Pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Correlate Negatively with Stroke in Women
A. Johansson^{a, b}, I. Johansson^a, M. Eriksson^c, A.-M. Åhrén^b, G. Hallmans^b, B. Stegmayr^c

Departments of
^aOdontology,
^bPublic Health and Clinical Medicine and
^cMedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

Address of Corresponding Author

Cerebrovasc Dis 2005;20:226-232 (DOI: 10.1159/000087703)

Key Words

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
Leukotoxin
Antibodies
Stroke

Abstract

Background: Chronic infections and associated inflammatory markers are suggested risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke. The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1 beta is suggested to play a role in the regulation of local inflammatory responses in both CVD and periodontitis. The leukotoxin from the periodontal pathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans has recently been shown to cause abundant secretion of IL-1 beta from macrophages. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence of systemic antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin in stroke cases (n = 273) and matched controls (n = 546) in an incident case-control study nested within the Northern Sweden MONICA and Västerbotten Intervention cohorts. Methods: Antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin were analyzed in a bioassay with HL-60 cells (leukocytes), purified A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin, and plasma. Plasma samples which inhibited lactate dehydrogenase release from leukotoxin-lysed cells by 50% were classified as antibody positive. Results: Antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin were detected in 18.8% of the women and 15.2% of the men. Women with those antibodies had a significantly decreased risk for stroke (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.13-0.59), but not men (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.52-1.51). Conclusion: The immunoreactivity to A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin correlates negatively with a future stroke in woman, but not in men. Further studies are needed to explain the underlying mechanisms, as well as the biological relevance of this finding.

Author Contacts

Anders Johansson
Department of Odontology
Umeå University
SE-901 85 Umeå (Sweden)
Tel. +46 90 7856291, Fax +46 90 770580, E-Mail anders.johansson@odont.umu.se

Article Information

Received: January 18, 2005
Accepted: April 28, 2005
Published online: August 22, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 4, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 44

Medline Abstract (ID 16123541)

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