Background: Aortic aneurysms affect an increasing number of elderly patients and cause considerable morbidity and mortality. The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms is unclear and little is known about the role of microorganisms in the development of the condition. The aim of the present study was to examine aortic aneurysm samples for the presence of four putative periodontal pathogens: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythensis, and Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Methods: Fifty-six samples from the aneurysm wall were obtained from patients undergoing aneurysm repair. DNA was extracted from tissue by conventional methods. Universal eubacterial primers for general detection of bacteria and speciesspecific primers for detection of the periodontal pathogens were used to amplify part of the 16S rRNA gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: Bacterial DNA was detected in 50 of the 56 aneurysm samples (89.2%). A. actinomycetemcomitans was found in four samples (7.1%). None of the samples was positive for T. denticola, T. forsythensis, or P. gingivalis.

Conclusion: Bacteria are commonly present in aortic aneurysms and may play a role in the development of the condition. Periodontal pathogens are also present. J Periodontol 2005;76:590-594.