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Kozarov et al. Vessel Plus 2020;4:10 Vessel Plus
DOI: 10.20517/2574-1209.2019.31

Review Open Access

Atherosclerosis microbiome: upcoming target for
vaccine and drug development

Emil Kozarov, Ann Progulske-Fox

Center for Molecular Microbiology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL 32610-0424, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Emil Kozarov, Center for Molecular Microbiology, University of Florida College of Dentistry, Gainesville,
FL 32610-0424, USA. E-mail: ekozarov@gmail.com

How to cite this article: Kozarov E, Progulske-Fox A. Atherosclerosis microbiome: upcoming target for vaccine and drug
development. Vessel Plus 2020;4:10. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1209.2019.31

Received: 2 Dec 2019 First Decision: 3 Jan 2020 Revised: 24 Feb 2020 Accepted: 5 Mar 2020 Published: 17 Apr 2020
Science Editors: Alexander N. Orekhov, Sampath Parthasarathy Copy Editor: Jing-Wen Zhang Production Editor: Jing Yu

Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and is one critical area of the
Received: First Decision: Revised: Accepted: Published: x
medical sciences. Atherosclerosis is the main underlying pathology and is characterized by chronic inflammation of
Science Editor: Copy Editor: Production Editor: Jing Yu the arterial walls. The current treatment modalities for CVD target hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hemostasis, and
suppress inflammation without directly addressing the origin of inflammation. Thus, many individuals with multiple
classic risk factors for CVD do not experience acute ischemic events. Moreover, myocardial infarction and stroke
continue to occur in up to two-thirds of all patients. Because many cardiovascular events have not been explained
by genetics or other risk factors, and multiple epidemiologic studies have consistently suggested an infectious
component, the introduction of entirely novel approaches for diagnostics and treatment that target infections are
acutely needed. These complementary novel approaches addressing additional manageable risk factors such as
infections will be based on the concept of personalized medicine to control CVD and achieve longevity, while also
increasing the quality of life. There are a variety of avenues that could enable such novel approaches. These focus on
the discovery and characterization of the infective component of atherosclerosis, the atherosclerosis microbiome.
Specifically, we provide an update of the latest developments in the oral microbiome and its relation to CVD.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, inflammation, bacterial infection, periodontitis, periodontal
pathogens, atheroma, Porphyromonas gingivalis

© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made.

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