Prevalence of Periodontal Pathogens in Slovak Patients with Periodontitis and Their Possible Aspect of Transmission from Companion Animals to Humans.

Oral health and diseases are greatly influenced by oral bacteria. During dysbiosis, bacterial composition changes, which can lead to periodontitis. Periodontitis in humans is associated with periodontal pathogens such as , , and . Animal-to-human transmission of some of these pathogens has also been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of periodontal pathogens in Slovak patients and to assess the possible risk of transmission of these pathogens from animals to their owners. The presence of periodontal pathogens in dental plaque was monitored by PCR. Amplified products were analysed using Sanger sequencing. isolates were assessed for the susceptibility to different antibiotics using the disk diffusion method. In humans, , , and were present in 69.23%, 69.23%, 100% and 84.62%, respectively. Most isolates of were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, clindamycin and moxifloxacin, but they were resistant to metronidazole. The transmission of from animals to their owners was not proven based on sequence analysing. On the other hand, transmission of was confirmed, but the risk of its involvement in the pathogenesis of periodontitis in humans must be further investigated.