Transmission of Porphyromonas gingivalis between spouses

Abstract

Porphyromonas gingivalis has been associated with severe forms of periodontitis. The question can be raised about the origin of this suspected periodontal pathogen. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the possibility of transmission of P. gingivalis between spouses. 18 patients were selected with severe periodontitis and colonized with P. gingivalis. 10 of their spouses appeared to be colonized with P. gingivalis too. 8 of the patients and their spouses were investigated further clinically and microbiologically. Microbiological evaluation revealed mostly high %s of P. gingivalis in the pockets, not only of the patients (5-48% of the cultivable flora), but also in 7 of the 8 spouses (0.2-61%). Furthermore, this species was isolated often from the saliva, the tongue, the buccal mucosa and the tonsillar area from both patients and spouses. For typing purposes, bacterial DNA was isolated, treated with the restriction endonucleases Bam HI or Pst I, after which the DNA fragments were separated by agarose gelelectrophoresis. With one exception, each individual was colonized with only one clonal type of P. gingivalis. The DNA patterns of all P. gingivalis isolates from unrelated individuals were found to be distinct. In contrast, in 6 of the 8 couples, the DNA patterns of isolates from husband and wife were indistinguishable. From these data, it can be concluded that it is most likely, that P. gingivalis can be transmitted between spouses. It remains to be investigated whether transmission of P. gingivalis is a risk factor for developing periodontal destruction.

Clonal Diversity and Turnover of Streptococcus mitis bv. 1 on Shedding and Nonshedding Oral Surfaces of Human Infants during the First Year of Life

“…For the mutans streptococci there is evidence of transmission both between parents (28, 39) and from parents, particularly the mother, to their/her children (5,(28)(29)(30)(35)(36)(37). For P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, F. nucleatum, and P. melaninogenica transmission between parents (spouses) (39,43) and their children (2,27,33,42) also is evident. Although transmission of clones may occur within the family unit it appears, for the most part, that the set of clones found within a family unit are unique to that unit and are not shared with other individuals.…”

“…In contrast, the diversity of S. sanguinis (31) and the mutans streptococi (S. mutans and S. sobrinus) appears to be limited (1,5,20,28,34,38). Among gram-negative commensal oral bacteria, studies of Eikenella corrodens (7,8,18), Fusobacterium nucleatum (19,42), and Prevotella melaninogenica (27) show that individuals may harbor multiple genotypes whereas, in contrast, colonization with Porphyromonas gingivalis (43) and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (13,21) appears to be monoclonal.…”

Adaptation of Porphyromonas gingivalis to microaerophilic conditions involves increased consumption of formate and reduced utilization of lactate

“…Although P. gingivalis grows optimally without oxygen and is found mainly in anaerobic periodontal pockets, to reach the periodontal pocket it is transferred through different sites in the oral cavity (saliva, tongue, buccal mucosa), where it is exposed to oxygen (Dahlen et al, 1992;Lamont & Jenkinson, 2000;van Steenbergen et al, 1993). Thus, it must cope with the oxidative stress resulting from oxygen exposure, and it probably employs oxygen metabolism pathways similar to those of B. fragilis (Baughn & Malamy, 2004).…”

Intracellular Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in Buccal Epithelial Cells Collected from Human Subjects

“…The anaerobic gingival crevice is considered the primary habitat for periodontal pathogens, but they also have been detected on the cheeks, tongue, and tonsils (6,16,25,30,39). Mucosal bacteria are less numerous than those in the gingival crevice, but they are thought to provide a source for re-infection following treatment (30,31,40,42).…”