A Neutrophil Disorder Induced by Capnocytophaga, a Dental Micro-Organism

Abstract

We recovered capnocytophaga, a gram-negative anaerobe implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease, from two patients with a history of dental infections. Neutrophils from both patients failed to acquire the asymmetric shape characteristic of normal neutrophils. Fluorescein staining of the patients' living neutrophils remained diffuse and patchy instead of showing the normal pattern in which the fluorescence is swept into the rear of the cell. The locomotion of one patient's neutrophils in vitro was less than 50 per cent of that of normal neutrophils, and migration of this patient's neutrophils into dermal abrasions was reduced, although phagocytosis and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction were normal. All abnormalities of neutrophil morphology and function disappeared after eradication of the capnocytophaga infections. Sonicates and culture medium of capnocytophaga contained a dialyzable substance that caused normal neutrophils to behave like neutrophils obtained from the infected patients.

Abnormal mobility of neonatal polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Relationship to impaired redistribution of surface adhesion sites by chemotactic factor or colchicine.

“…Uropod formation was low and cellular adhesiveness was only marginally influenced by CF stimulation. Interrelated influences of CF on PMN morphology, adhesive properties, and motility have been strongly supported by recent studies (12)(13)(14)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34). The neonatal PMN appears to represent an example of an abnormality in these interrelationships.…”

“…For both neonatal and adult control suspensions, minimal (<2 ,ug/ml) or no lysozyme activity was detectable in supernates of unstimulated or f-Met-Leu-Phe-stimulated cell suspensions. Lysed cell preparations demonstrated [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] ,ug/ml lysozyme activity based on a standardized urine sample obtained from a leukemic patient. In all cases, >90% of total lysozyme of cell suspensions was detected within PMN after f-Met-Leu-Phe stimulation.…”

Unique CD18 mutations involving a deletion in the extracellular stalk region and a major truncation of the cytoplasmic domain in a patient with leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1

“…The patient is a 35-year-old man who was reported previously by Shurin et al 8 in 1979 as having a disorder of PMN chemotaxis presumed to be caused by the overgrowth in the oral cavity of Capnocytophaga, sonicates of which contained a dialyzable inhibitor of PMN chemotaxis. His clinical course to that time was characterized by early severe periodontal disease with loss of alveolar bone, persistent neutrophilia, and recurrent boils containing clear fluid.…”

Diversity of Capnocytophaga species in children and description of Capnocytophaga leadbetteri sp. nov. and Capnocytophaga genospecies AHN8471

“…Thus, their association with periodontal disease is a matter of controversy (Dzink et al, 1988;Moore & Moore, 1994;Colombo et al, 1998;Paster et al, 2001;Kumar et al, 2003). Early reports correlated the pathogenic potential of Capnocytophaga to an immunosuppressive effect on polymorphonuclear neutrophils, including suppression of their chemotaxis (Shurin et al, 1979;Van Dyke et al, 1982). Subsequently, sonic extracts of Capnocytophaga were reported to inhibit lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogen (Ochiai et al, 1998).…”