Campylobacter Species of the Oral Microbiota as Prognostic Factor for Cardiovascular Outcome after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery

Background: The oral microbiota has been implicated in a variety of systemic diseases, including cardiovascular (CV) disease. The main objective of this study (DRKS-ID: DRKS00015776) was to evaluate the prognostic importance of the oral microbiota for further CV events in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (3-year follow-up). Methods: In this longitudinal cohort study, 102 CV patients were enrolled, of whom 95 completed the 3-year follow-up. The CV outcome was assessed using the major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events criteria. To evaluate subgingival colonization, 16S rRNA genes were amplified, targeting the V3/V4 region (Illumina MiSeq). Results: Regarding the specific number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), no significant differences in CV outcome were determined (alpha diversity, Shannon index). In linear discriminant analyses and t-tests, the disease-specific differences in the beta diversity of the microbiota composition were evaluated. It was evident that bacteria species of the genus Campylobacter were significantly more prevalent in patients with a secondary CV event (p = 0.015). This hierarchical order also includes Campylobacter rectus, which is considered to be of comprehensive importance in both periodontal and CV diseases. Conclusions: Here, we proved that subgingival occurrence of Campylobacter species has prognostic relevance for cardiovascular outcomes in CV patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.