Presence of Helicobacter cinaedi in Atherosclerotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysmal Wall

Recently, the relationship between Helicobacter cinaedi (H. cinaedi) infection and several diseases, including cardiovascular and central nervous system disorders, bone and soft tissue disorders, and infectious abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), has been reported. Moreover, H. cinaedi may be associated with arteriosclerosis. In the present study, we investigated the association between H. cinaedi infection and clinically uninfected AAAs. Genetic detection of H. cinaedi in the abdominal aneurysm wall was attempted in 39 patients with AAA undergoing elective open surgery between June 2019 and June 2020. DNA samples extracted from the arterial wall obtained during surgery were analyzed using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The target gene region was the H. cinaedi-specific cytolethal distending toxin subunit B (cdtB). Nine (23.1%) of 39 patients showed positive bands corresponding to H. cinaedi, and further sequencing analyses demonstrated the presence of H. cinaedi DNAs in their aneurysm walls. In contrast, all the non-aneurysm arterial walls in our patients were negative for H. cinaedi. In conclusion, this is the first report of the detection of H. cinaedi in the walls of a clinically non-infectious AAA.