Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Dorotheenstrasse 96, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
BMC Microbiol. 2010 Mar 1;10:66. doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-10-66.
Bacteria in periodontal pockets develop complex sessile communities that attach to the tooth surface. These highly dynamic microfloral environments challenge both clinicians and researchers alike. The exploration of structural organisation and bacterial interactions within these biofilms is critically important for a thorough understanding of periodontal disease. In recent years, Filifactor alocis, a fastidious, Gram-positive, obligately anaerobic rod was repeatedly identified in periodontal lesions using DNA-based methods. It has been suggested to be a marker for periodontal deterioration. The present study investigated the epidemiology of F. alocis in periodontal pockets and analysed the spatial arrangement and architectural role of the organism in in vivo grown subgingival biofilms.
A species-specific oligonucleotide probe, FIAL, was designed and evaluated. A total of 490 subgingival plaque samples were submitted to PCR and subsequent dot blot hybridization to compare the prevalence of F. alocis in patients suffering from generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP), chronic periodontitis (CP), and control subjects resistant to periodontitis. Moreover, a specially designed carrier system was used to collect in vivo grown subgingival biofilms from GAP patients. Subsequent topographic analysis was performed using fluorescence in situ hybridization.While the majority of patients suffering from GAP or CP harboured F. alocis, it was rarely detected in the control group. In the examined carrier-borne biofilms the organism predominantly colonized apical parts of the pocket in close proximity to the soft tissues and was involved in numerous structures that constitute characteristic architectural features of subgingival periodontal biofilms.
F. alocis is likely to make a relevant contribution to the pathogenetic structure of biofilms accounting for periodontal inflammation and can be considered an excellent marker organism for periodontal disease.
牙周袋中的细菌形成附着在牙齿表面的复杂固着群落。这些高度动态的微生物环境对临床医生和研究人员都是一个挑战。探索这些生物膜的结构组织和细菌相互作用对于深入了解牙周病至关重要。近年来，利用基于 DNA 的方法，在牙周病损中反复发现一种挑剔的革兰氏阳性、专性厌氧棒状菌 Filifactor alocis。它被认为是牙周恶化的标志物。本研究调查了牙周袋中 F. alocis 的流行病学，并分析了该生物体在体内生长的龈下生物膜中的空间排列和结构作用。
设计并评估了一种特异性寡核苷酸探针 FIAL。共提交了 490 个龈下菌斑样本进行 PCR 和随后的斑点杂交，以比较患有广泛性侵袭性牙周炎（GAP）、慢性牙周炎（CP）和对牙周炎有抵抗力的对照组患者中 F. alocis 的患病率。此外，还使用专门设计的载体系统从 GAP 患者中收集体内生长的龈下生物膜。随后使用荧光原位杂交进行拓扑分析。虽然大多数患有 GAP 或 CP 的患者携带 F. alocis，但在对照组中很少检测到。在所检查的载体携带生物膜中，该生物体主要定植在靠近软组织的袋的根尖部分，并参与构成龈下牙周生物膜特征性结构特征的许多结构。
F. alocis 可能对导致牙周炎炎症的生物膜的发病结构做出重要贡献，可以被认为是牙周病的优秀标志物。
