Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection of Human Endothelial Cells Induces Proliferation of Smooth Muscle Cells via an Endothelial Cell-Derived Soluble Factor(s)

An association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease has been determined epidemiologically and by the detection of C. pneumoniae organisms in atherosclerotic lesions in both humans and animal models of atherosclerosis. Previously, it has been shown that C. pneumoniae is capable of replicating in cell types found within atheromatous lesions, viz., endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells (SMC), and macrophages, …