Oral infection with a periodontal pathogen accelerates early atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-null mice.

Objective: Because recent epidemiologic evidence suggests that periodontal infections may increase the risk of atherosclerosis and related events in humans, we assessed the impact of oral inoculation with the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis on atherogenesis in hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E-null mice.

Methods And Results: In the absence of alterations in distinct risk factors, P gingivalis infection exacerbated the early stages of atherogenesis in this model. Infected animals displayed evidence of local periodontal infection, as the severity of alveolar bone loss, the hallmark of periodontitis, was increased.