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Effect of Nutrients upon Streptococcus mutans BHT and Streptococcus mitior LPA‐1 Growing in Pure or Mixed Culture on Human Teeth in an Artificial Mouth
Author(s) -
DONOGHUE HELEN D.,
DIBDIN G. H.,
SHELLIS R. P.,
RAPSON GILLIAN,
WILSON CONSTANCE M.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1980.tb05128.x
Subject(s) - streptococcus mutans , saliva , sucrose , microbiology and biotechnology , biofilm , chemistry , streptococcus , hydrogen peroxide , food science , biology , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics
Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus mitior were both capable of colonizing the surfaces of human teeth in an artificial mouth. Although fermentable carbohydrate was not essential for colonization, highest numbers were recovered after 5 d if 5–0° ***0 (w/v) sucrose had been available intermittently. When grown together in mixed culture the interaction of the two species was affected profoundly by the available nutrients. In the presence of synthetic saliva alone, Strep. mitior was strongly antagonistic to Strep. mutans. When a nutrient broth containing sucrose was also provided intermittently there was slight inhibition of Strep. mutans accompanied by an increase in the proportion of Strep. mitior in the plaque, although the former was the dominant organism under these conditions. When 0–5% (w/v) glucose replaced the sucrose, mutual antagonism occurred and fewer organisms were recovered than if only synthetic saliva had been available. One reason why a high‐sucrose diet encourages colonization by Strep. mutans may be that insoluble extracellular polysaccharide confers a competitive advantage upon it in the face of antagonistic agents such as the hydrogen peroxide produced by Strep. mitior.