Chlamydia pneumoniae infections and development of lung cancer: systematic review

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundChlamydia pneumoniaeis an obligate intracellular pathogen and is a common cause of human respiratory diseases, including pneumonia. It has been already known to have a causal relationship with some chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we aim to find out the association betweenC. pneumoniaeinfection and lung cancer.MethodsThis is a systematic review onC. pneumoniaeinfection and the development of lung cancer, based on published articles consolidated from PubMed and Google Scholar on the topic.ResultsOut of 46 articles, 27 were selected and screened through the process. Twenty-four articles positively supported the hypothesis with one animal model, while 3 of them were negatively supportive. Several proposed mechanisms explain the pathogenesis with some knowledge gaps.ConclusionAlthough some studies showed an association betweenC. pneumoniaeinfection and lung cancer, whether theC. pneumoniaeinfection is an individual risk factor for lung cancer is still debatable. And it needs further experimental studies on both humans and animals with large observational studies to better understand the association betweenC. pneumoniaeinfection and lung cancer.