Relationship Between Serum Antibody Levels and Subgingival Colonization of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Patients With Various Types of Periodontitis

Abstract

Porphyromonas Gingivalis is considered to be an important pathogen in periodontitis. The present study investigates the relationship between serum anti‐P. gingivalis IgG antibody levels and the subgingival distribution of P. gingivalis in patients with periodontitis. We examined subgingival plaque samples from 15 patients with adult periodontitis (AP), 8 patients with early‐onset periodontitis (EOP), and 6 clinically healthy individuals. The samples were collected from periodontal pockets or gingival crevices of all remaining teeth in each subject. The total number of samples was 3,024, ranging from 76 to 120 per subject. Probing depth and bleeding at each sample site were recorded. P. gingivalis was detected using a non‐radioactive whole genomic DNA probe. Serum samples were taken from the subjects, and the serum anti‐P. gingivalis IgG antibody titer was determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). P. gingivalis was recovered from all AP and EOP patients, and from 3 of the 6 healthy subjects. Two significant positive correlations were observed among the subjects. The serum anti‐P. gingivalis IgG antibody titer correlated with detection frequency of P. gingivalis, and the antibody titer correlated with the amount of P. gingivalis detected. Higher levels of P. gingivalis were detected in the EOP group than in the AP group. However, no significant difference was found in the serum IgG titer levels between EOP and AP patients. These findings suggest a direct relationship between the serum anti‐P. gingivalis IgG levels and subgingival P. gingivalis colonization; however, the functional capabilities of IgG antibodies may vary among the various types of periodontitis patients. J Periodontol 1997;68:618–625.

Periodontal Disease and Coronary Heart Disease

“…The distribution of periodontopathic organisms in gingival plaque is closely related to antibody levels to the intact bacteria in serum. For example, studies have shown a direct relationship between the serum anti-P gingivalis IgG levels and subgingival colonization by P gingivalis 48 consistent with a systemic antibody response as a reflection of the host response to infections by periodontal organisms. Increases in systemic antibody response to organisms have also been associated with episodes of periodontal disease activity.…”

Oral pathogens and allergic disease: Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…Although the pathogens can be readily sampled from the mouth and identified and quantified by any of a variety of laboratory techniques, oral sampling was not conducted in NHANES III. Several studies have shown significant, positive correlations between specific IgG antibody levels and levels of these pathogens in the mouth [33][34][35] ; however, those studies were relatively small, and correlations were not consistently strong. Because antibody responses to these and other pathogens are influenced by a variety of host factors, serum antibody levels may not be an accurate measure of pathogen exposure.…”

Molecular Cloning of aBacteroides caccaeTonB-Linked Outer Membrane Protein Identified by an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Marker Antibody

“…SusC protein is an essential receptor for uptake and utilization of certain starches and intermediate-sized maltooligosaccharides, apparently powered by a Bacteroides homologue of the TonB complex (28,29). With respect to RagA, the ragAB locus has been validated as a virulence factor of P. gingivalis tissue damage and in vivo survival, and RagA and RagB are recognized targets of disease-associated periodontal antibody responses (11,21,22). On this basis, RagA is implicated in P. gingivalis-associated periodontal disease.…”