{"id":59636,"date":"2025-09-12T14:07:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/59636\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T14:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T14:07:09","slug":"heart-attacks-may-be-infectious-and-vaccines-could-prevent-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/59636\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Attacks May Be Infectious and Vaccines Could Prevent Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Medical<\/a>Heart attacks may be infectious, driven by hidden microbes in the arteries. Credit: Shutterstock
\nScientists have uncovered evidence that heart attacks may actually be sparked by infection.<\/p>\n

Hidden bacterial biofilms can lurk silently inside arterial plaques for decades, shielded from the immune system, until a viral illness or other trigger awakens them. Once activated, the bacteria fuel inflammation that ruptures plaques and blocks blood flow \u2014 leading to heart attacks.<\/p>\n

Myocardial Infarction May Be Infectious<\/p>\n

Recent findings suggest that infections could play a role in triggering myocardial infarction. Researchers using advanced techniques discovered that in coronary artery disease, cholesterol-rich atherosclerotic plaques may contain a jelly-like biofilm created by bacteria. These biofilms can develop silently over many years without causing symptoms. The bacteria inside remain inactive and are protected from both the body\u2019s immune defenses and antibiotics, as neither can penetrate the dense biofilm structure.<\/p>\n

Biofilms Activated by Viral Triggers<\/p>\n

The study indicates that a viral infection or another outside factor can awaken the dormant biofilm. Once activated, the bacteria begin to multiply, sparking inflammation. This immune reaction has the potential to weaken and rupture the fibrous covering of the plaque, which can then lead to clot formation and ultimately a heart attack.<\/p>\n

Professor Pekka Karhunen, the study\u2019s lead author, explains that until now it was widely believed that coronary artery disease was primarily driven by oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which the body identifies as a foreign substance.<\/p>\n

\"Bacterial<\/a>Asymptomatic bacterial biofilm lining a cholesterol-laden coronary artery plaque. Credit: Pekka Karhunen\u2019s research group, Tampere University
\nBacterial DNA Found in Arteries<\/p>\n

\u201cBacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direct and convincing evidence has been lacking. Our study demonstrated the presence of genetic material \u2013 DNA \u2013 from several oral bacteria inside atherosclerotic plaques,\u201d Karhunen explains.<\/p>\n

The findings were validated by developing an antibody targeted at the discovered bacteria, which unexpectedly revealed biofilm structures in arterial tissue. Bacteria released from the biofilm were observed in cases of myocardial infarction. The body\u2019s immune system had responded to these bacteria, triggering inflammation, which ruptured the cholesterol-laden plaque.<\/p>\n

Toward Vaccines and Novel Therapies<\/p>\n

The observations pave the way for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for myocardial infarction. Furthermore, they advance the possibility of preventing coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction by vaccination.<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cViridans Streptococcal Biofilm Evades Immune Detection and Contributes to Inflammation and Rupture of Atherosclerotic Plaques\u201d by Pekka J. Karhunen, Tanja Pessi, Sohvi H\u00f6rkk\u00f6, Vesa Karhunen, Sirkka Goebeler, Anne\u2010Mari Louhelainen, Mika Martiskainen, Teppo Haapaniemi, Johanna Lappetel\u00e4inen, Tommi Ij\u00e4s, Leo\u2010Pekka Lyytik\u00e4inen, Emma Raitoharju, Thanos Sioris, Sari Tuomisto, Heini Huhtala, Chunguang Wang, Claudia Monaco, Niku Oksala, Terho Lehtim\u00e4ki and Reijo Laaksonen, 6 August 2025, Journal of the American Heart Association.
DOI: 10.1161\/JAHA.125.041521<\/a><\/p>\n

The study was conducted by Tampere and Oulu Universities, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Oxford. Tissue samples were obtained from individuals who had died from sudden cardiac death, as well as from patients with atherosclerosis who were undergoing surgery to cleanse carotid and peripheral arteries.<\/p>\n

The research is part of an extensive EU-funded cardiovascular research project involving 11 countries. Significant funding was also provided by the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.<\/p>\n

Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heart attacks may be infectious, driven by hidden microbes in the arteries. Credit: Shutterstock Scientists have uncovered evidence…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[2908,18,135,137,19,4381,99,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-59636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-cardiology","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-heart","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-infectious-diseases","14":"tag-inflammation","15":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}