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Effect of saliva viscosity on the co‐aggregation between oral streptococci and Actinomyces naeslundii
Author(s) -
Kitada Katsuhiro,
Oho Takahiko
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
gerodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1741-2358
pISSN - 0734-0664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00595.x
Subject(s) - actinomyces naeslundii , streptococcus oralis , saliva , actinomyces , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , actinomycetaceae , streptococcus , chemistry , bacteria , food science , biology , lactobacillus , bifidobacterium , genetics , fermentation
doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00595.x Effect of saliva viscosity on the co‐aggregation between oral streptococci and Actinomyces naeslundiiBackground: The co‐aggregation of oral bacteria leads to their clearance from the oral cavity. Poor oral hygiene and high saliva viscosity are common amongst the elderly; thus, they frequently suffer from pneumonia caused by the aspiration of oral microorganisms. Objectives: To examine the direct effect of saliva viscosity on the co‐aggregation of oral streptococci with actinomyces. Materials and methods: Fifteen oral streptococcal and a single actinomyces strain were used. Co‐aggregation was assessed by a visual assay in phosphate buffer and a spectrophotometric assay in the same buffer containing 0–60% glycerol or whole saliva. Results: Nine oral streptococci co‐aggregated with Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC12104 in the visual assay and were subsequently used for the spectrophotometric analysis. All tested strains displayed a decrease in co‐aggregation with increasing amounts of glycerol in the buffer. The co‐aggregation of Streptococcus oralis with A. naeslundii recovered to baseline level following the removal of glycerol. The per cent co‐aggregation of S. oralis with A. naeslundii was significantly correlated with the viscosity in unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva samples (correlation coefficients: −0.52 and −0.48, respectively). Conclusion: This study suggests that saliva viscosity affects the co‐aggregation of oral streptococci with actinomyces and that bacterial co‐aggregation decreases with increasing saliva viscosity.