Neutrophil chemotaxis in Down syndrome and normal children to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

During the last decade a lot of attention has been diverted to the study of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) as the principal micro-organism in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Because of the defective body defenses, there is an increased likelihood of periodontal disease among the Down syndrome patients. An attempt has been made herein to correlate the relationship between the gingival and periodontal health status to the isolation of Aa from the subgingival plaque in Down syndrome cases and to compare it to the neutrophil chemotactic activity to the normal subjects. Strong association between the occurrence of Aa as well as significant differences between the healthy and Down syndrome subjects in neutrophil defense activity were observed.