Collaborative Multidisciplinary Workshop Report: What Questions Regarding the Role ofChlamydia pneumoniaein Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease Need to Be Addressed Utilizing Animal Models?

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Abstract
In general, the Animal Model Workshop Committee concluded that animal models are crucial to investigations of the role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In vivo animal experiments are essential in studies to establish causality between C. pneumoniae and atherosclerosis; however, it is unlikely that an animal model will fulfill all the criteria of Koch's postulate, which was developed for an acute infectious disease with a single etiology, because atherosclerosis is a chronic disease with multiple etiologic factors. Furthermore, animal models are necessary to discern the possible mechanisms by which C. pneumoniae may induce, accelerate, or complicate the processes of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Experiments are necessary to complement in vitro and human studies in establishing biological plausibility. The establishment of animal models should be a priority to provide guidelines for clinical trials with respect to appropriate interventions and prevention (e.g., guidelines for the most appropriate antimicrobial agent or combination of agents, dose and duration of therapy, and development of a possible vaccine).

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