AGT and hypertensive disorder: Among these species, antigens from P. gingivalis can aggravate hypertension and impair vascular function via an enhanced Th1-type immune response in angiotensin II-infused mice (15, 23); Pietropaoli defined C. rectus as a hypertension-associated oral pathogen through analysis of the associations between blood pressure and serum antibodies to 21 periodontal microorganisms (24).