Center for Oral Biology, Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, NY, USA; Deceased (15 November 2016).
Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Trends Microbiol. 2018 Mar;26(3):229-242. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.09.008. Epub 2017 Oct 30.
Biofilms are microbial communities embedded within an extracellular matrix, forming a highly organized structure that causes many human infections. Dental caries (tooth decay) is a polymicrobial biofilm disease driven by the diet and microbiota-matrix interactions that occur on a solid surface. Sugars fuel the emergence of pathogens, the assembly of the matrix, and the acidification of the biofilm microenvironment, promoting ecological changes and concerted multispecies efforts that are conducive to acid damage of the mineralized tooth tissue. Here, we discuss recent advances in the role of the biofilm matrix and interactions between opportunistic pathogens and commensals in the pathogenesis of dental caries. In addition, we highlight the importance of matrix-producing organisms in fostering a pathogenic habitat where interspecies competition and synergies occur to drive the disease process, which could have implications to other infections associated with polymicrobial biofilms.
生物膜是嵌入细胞外基质中的微生物群落，形成高度组织化的结构，导致许多人类感染。龋齿（蛀牙）是一种多微生物生物膜疾病，由饮食和发生在固体表面上的微生物群-基质相互作用驱动。糖为病原体的出现、基质的组装和生物膜微环境的酸化提供动力，促进生态变化和协同的多物种努力，有利于矿化牙组织的酸损伤。在这里，我们讨论了生物膜基质的作用以及机会性病原体和共生体之间相互作用在龋齿发病机制中的最新进展。此外，我们强调了产生基质的生物体在促进有利于种间竞争和协同作用以推动疾病进程的致病生境中的重要性，这可能对与多微生物生物膜相关的其他感染产生影响。
