Germs might be even worse for us than we thought. New research suggests that certain infections could be a contributing factor to heart attacks.

Scientists in Finland and the UK conducted the study, which examined arterial plaques taken from people who died from heart disease and others. They found these plaques often contained a dormant layer of bacterial biofilm; they also found evidence that bacteria released from this biofilm can then trigger heart attacks. Though not yet definitive, the study may someday point to another way we can prevent or treat heart attacks, the researchers say.

“This finding adds to the current conception of the pathogenesis of [heart attacks],” the researchers wrote in their paper, published last month in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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