Herpesvirus DNA (Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus) in circulating monocytes of patients with coronary artery disease

Background -The underlying mechanism of the chronic inflammatory process in atherosclerosis is still unknown. As a possible trigger, several studies in recent years have suggested that different viruses and bacteria are associated with atherosclerotic diseases. Methods - We applied polymerase chain reaction to analyse whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA could be detected in CD14 + cells from 184 patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease (CAD) (74 patients with stable angina (SAP), 51 patients with unstable angina (UAP), and 59 patients with myocardial infarction (Ml)) and from 52 healthy controls. Results - In t…