Bacterial Populations in Subgingival Plaque Under Healthy and Diseased Conditions: Genomic Insights into Oral Adaptation Strategies by sp. Strain DISK7.

Human oral cavity is a complex habitat comprising about 700 microbial species and represents the most complex microbiota after gastrointestinal tract. In fact, oral microbiota directly influences health, metabolism and immune responses of the host. Metagenomic studies based on 16S rDNA profiling has reported the inhabitant bacteria mainly belonging to phyla , , , , and . Therefore, it is essential to isolate these strains and characterize in detail to understand their interaction. We have isolated strains from subgingival plaque from healthy to diseased individuals and the molecular characterization based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed predominance of , specifically members of the genus . Species of and were also found in significant number, which are considered as secondary colonizers. However, the population of was decreased in diseased conditions with the increase in opportunistic pathogenic strains pertaining to genera like , , , and . Further, we have also made an attempt to gain genomic insights on adaptation features and interactions of an isolate, sp. strain DISK7 by performing whole genome sequencing and analysis, subsequently biochemical characterization to explore its functional and metabolic properties for the development as probiotic agent.