Methods: Sixty-six Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups each consisting of 14 to 20 rats. The rats in group 1 (n=20) and group 3 (n=16) were fed with a 1% cholesterol supplemented diet, whereas the rats in group 2 (n=14) and group 4 (Control group) were fed with regular rat chow. Rats' tracheas were surgically explored under anesthesia. Intratracheal inoculation was performed with P. aeruginosa suspension in group 1 and 2 or 0.1 ml saline in groups 3 and 4 via a syringe five times with four-week-intervals during the study period. Cholesterol levels were measured in blood samples collected from the tail under anesthesia.

Results: In histopathological examinations; the segment with greatest luminal narrowing was selected by visual inspection and 8-10 slides prepared from each segment were examined under Olympus CH 40 microscope. Medial and the neointimal areas of the specimens were analyzed by computed image analysis.

Conclusion: The rats in the control group exhibited mainly normal renal artery wall structure on cross sections. The rats that were infected and fed with 1% cholesterol diet developed typical preatherosclerotic changes in the renal arteries. In this study, it was demonstrated for the first time that both chronic lung infection with P. aeruginosa and high cholesterol f eeding a ccelerated the increases of the renal artery intima-media thickness in a rat model. These findings strongly suggest that the distant effects of chronic infection are an etiological factor in genesis of atherosclerosis.