On local fusospirochetosis and its treatment

After birth, for about 6 hours, the baby's mouth and intestines are free from germs. From the 2nd-4th day, anaerobes begin to predominate in the intestines, whereas in the mouth, due to greater aeration of the latter, up to the time of teething, anaerobes, according to Brailovskaya-Lunkevich, are rare, and according to Zilz, even permanently absent. This picture changes sharply with the appearance of teeth: the spaces between them and the gum folds, as places of stagnation of food particles, provide a reliable refuge for anaerobic microorganisms; and in the mouth of the child appear spirochaetes and spindle-shaped bacilli.