Contrasting circulating microbiome in cardiovascular disease patients and healthy individuals

摘要

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and projected to remain as the single leading cause of death. In addition to the traditional risk factors, the role of microbiome in the establishment of CVDs has gained much attention in recent years [1]. In India, valvular heart diseases (VHD) are predominantly of rheumatic origin caused by group A streptococci, whereas degenerative VHDs are predominant in the west [2]. Transient bacteremia as a result of microbial ingress due to dental, surgical or injury induced trauma could result in infective endocarditis [3]. The organisms causing transient bacteremia, however, are dependent on the microbial load and communities residing at the traumatized site. With the advent of new generation sequencing strategies and metagenomic approaches, the microbial communities at several sites in the human body have been profiled.