E(H) 8, p. 79], it was shown that immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies reactive with autoclave extracts of oral strains of B. melaninogenicus subsp. intermedius or B. asaccharolyticus could be detected in the sera of periodontally normal children and adults. The levels of antibody in these normal sera reactive with B. melaninogenicus subsp. intermedius were distinctly higher than those reactive with B. asaccharolyticus. In these pilot studies, it was also shown that patients with adult periodontitis had higher levels of antibodies to B. asaccharolyticus, but not to B. melaninogenicus subsp. inter

No abstract

The effect of long-term consumption of refined xylitol on the natural populations of S. mutans in the human oral cavity has been investigated. Fifty-four S. mutans strains were isolated from adults and children who had been consuming commercial food products containing xylitol for a period of from 1 1/2 to 10 years. Twenty isolates were also obtained from control subjects who had never consumed xylitol-containing commercial food products. The inhibitory effect of xylitol on the isolated strains was determined by monitoring growth on glucose in the presence or absence of xylitol. This was used to define the sensitivity of each isolate to xylitol. Phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase (PEP-PTS) activities were measured by means of the soluble and membrane fractions prepared from strains from both study populations. It was found that 87% of the fresh isolates from xylitol consumers were xylitol-resistant (XR), compared with only 10% of the strains isolated from the control subjects. The XR strains had low constitutive fructose PTS activity and very low xylitol-phosphorylating capacity. The xylitol-sensitive (XS) strains, however, had much higher levels of constitutive fructose PTS activity and phosphorylated xylitol 16 times more rapidly than did the XR strains. Evidence for the phosphorylation of xylitol by a fructose PEP-PTS in the XS strains was obtained. The growth inhibition by the intracellular accumulation of non-metabolizable toxic xylitol phosphate and its prevention by the presence of fructose are discussed.

We investigated the effect of xylitol on the growth of different oral bacteria in the presence of glucose. Xylitol inhibited the growth of all but one of ten strains of S. mutans and failed to inhibit the growth of the lactobacilli, actinomycetes, and other streptococci tested except S. sanguis 10556, which was slightly inhibited. However, the rate of acid production of the sensitive S. mutans strains was not equally affected by xylitol. These data, obtained with pure cultures of acidogenic oral bacteria, may explain the lack of an in vitro inhibitory effect of xylitol on dental plaque samples.

This study aimed to evaluate the microbiota of necrotic pulp in teeth without carious lesions where the crown and root were intact and to test the sensitivity of this microbiota to antibiotics in order to improve treatment. The necrotic pulp was sampled from 26 single-rooted teeth in intact pulp chambers. A total of 84 strains were isolated. The number of species isolated per tooth varied from 2 to 8, with a strong component (81%) of anaerobic bacteria. The most commonly represented species were Bacteroides gracilis, Propionibacterium acnes, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella buccae and Eubacterium lentum. The sensitivity of these organisms to amoxicillin, amoxicillin combined with clavulanate and tetracycline was evaluated by Etest on 38 isolates. For all strains tested, the minimum inhibitory concentration values obtained were low and substantially below effective serum concentrations for these antibiotics. These data enable us to devise suitable treatments for acute development of apical lesions and to prevent dissemination of this source of infection to the rest of the host.

A total of 97 strains of the periopathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis were collected. This collection included laboratory strains and clinical isolates of human origin with diverse clinical and geographical origins. Biological diversity was further increased by including 32 strains isolated from the oral cavities of nine different animal species. Genomic fingerprints of the 129 strains were generated as random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) by the technique of PCR amplification with a single primer of arbitrary sequence. Four nonameric oligonucleotides were used as single primers, and the banding patterns of the DNA products separated on agarose gels were compared after ethidium ethidium bromide staining. Distance coeffients based on the positions of the major DNA fragments were calculated, and dendrograms were generated. We identified 102 clonal types (CTs) that could be assembled into three main groups by cluster analysis by the unweighted pair group method with mathematic averages. Group I (n ‫؍‬ 79 CTs) included all 97 human strains and 6 monkey isolates. The strains in group II (n ‫؍‬ 22 CTs) and III (n ‫؍‬ 1 CT) were strongly differentiated from those in group I and included only strains of animal origin; they likely represent two cryptic species within the present P. gingivalis taxon. We observed that strains from Old World monkeys clustered together with the human genotype, whereas strains from New World monkeys clustered with the animal genotype. Our results with human strains also indicated that (i) the population structure is basically clonal, (ii) no dominant or widespread CT could be observed, and (iii) no relationship could be established between specific clusters of CTs and the periodontal status of the host. Our results corroborate previous findings by B. G. Loos, D. W. Dyer, T. S. Whittam, and R. K. Selander (Infect. Immun. 61:204-212, 1993) and suggest that P. gingivalis should be considered a commensal of the oral cavity acting as an opportunistic pathogen. Our results are not consistent with the hypothesis that only a few virulent clones of P. gingivalis are associated with disease.

The antigenic complexity of three strains of Bacteroides gingivalis and four strains resembling B. gingivalis isolated from animals was analyzed and compared by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Thirteen antigens of the human biotype were present in all human strains and six antigens of the animal biotype were present in all animal strains, indicating a marked serological homogeneity within each biotype. Four antigens cross-reacting between the human B. gingivalis and the animal strains were identified. This antigenic relatedness defined the serological homogeneity of the two biotypes within the species and allowed recognition of four species-specific antigens. Two antigens specific to the human strains and two antigens specific to the animal strains were identified, indicating that serotype-specific antigens can distinguish each biotype. It is thus proposed that the oral, black-pigmented asaccharolytic Bacteroides strains of animal origin be classified as catalase-positive variants of B. gingivalis. It is also proposed that two serotypes be recognized within the species B. gingivalis. Serotype 1 includes the catalase-negative human biotype, and serotype 2 includes the catalase-positive animal biotype.

The level of systemic antibodies to B. gingivalis was assessed longitudinally in a group of 11 adult patients with chronic periodontitis and in 9 periodontally healthy subjects. Immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and IgM-specific antibodies were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples obtained during the natural course of the disease and following scaling and root planing. A serological dichotomy was observed throughout the study in the chronic periodontitis patients. A first subgroup was characterized by a virtual absence of IgA antibody and by IgG and IgM levels similar to those of healthy individuals, suggesting a low level of colonization by B. gingivalis. The patients of the second subgroup had detectable IgA and a significantly higher IgG antibody level that probably reflected the presence of a B. gingivalis infection. There was no statistical difference between the two subgroups for Plaque Index, Gingival Index, probeable pocket depth and age. No cyclic pattern of the antibody levels was observed over the monitoring interval. No peak level of antibody was observed in the immediate posttreatment period, suggesting that scaling and root planing may not provoke active immunization with B. gingivalis. Antibody titres reduced by half 1 year following scaling and root planing were observed in patients presumably infected with B. gingivalis, suggesting that the procedure effectively reduced the immune challenge.