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The early colonization of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria in edentulous infants
E Könönen1, S Asikainen, H Jousimies-Somer
1Department of Periodontology, University of Helsinki.
Insights
Oral gram-negative anaerobic bacteria commonly colonize the mouths of edentulous infants. Prevotella melaninogenica was the most frequent anaerobe found in 70% of infants studied.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Oral Health
Background:
- The oral microbiome in infants is dynamic and influenced by various factors.
- Understanding early microbial colonization is crucial for long-term oral health.
- Edentulous infants represent a unique stage in oral microbial development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence and diversity of oral gram-negative anaerobic bacteria in edentulous infants.
- To identify the predominant anaerobic species colonizing the infant oral cavity.
- To determine the prevalence of specific anaerobic bacteria, including Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.
Main Methods:
- Culturing of pooled mucosal swab and saliva samples from 30 edentulous infants (mean age 3 months).
- Use of non-selective and selective media for both aerobic and anaerobic cultivation.
- Additional screening for Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in 21 edentulous infants.
Main Results:
- Prevotella melaninogenica was the most prevalent anaerobe (70%), followed by Fusobacterium nucleatum (60%), Veillonella spp. (57%), and nonpigmented Prevotella spp. (57%).
- Other detected anaerobes included Bacteroides gracilis (23%), Wolinella spp. (3%), Eikenella corrodens (3%), Leptotrichia spp. (17%), Capnocytophaga spp. (13%), Prevotella loescheii (13%), and Prevotella intermedia (7%).
- Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was not detected in any of the 51 infants; 10% of infants had no anaerobic bacteria detected.
Conclusions:
- Various anaerobic bacterial species readily colonize the edentulous oral cavity in infants.
- The oral microbiome of edentulous infants is already populated with a diverse range of anaerobic bacteria.
- Further research is needed to understand the long-term implications of this early colonization.
Abstract:
The occurrence of oral gram-negative anaerobes was examined in 30 edentulous infants (mean age 3 months, range 1-7 months). One pooled swab sample from mucosal surfaces (cheeks, palate, tongue) and one saliva sample was taken from each infant. The samples were cultured aerobically and anaerobically using non-selective and selective media. Prevotella (Bacteroides) melaninogenica was the most frequently isolated anaerobe, found in 70% of the infants. The other common anaerobes were Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella spp. and nonpigmented Prevotella (Bacteroides) spp., found in 60%, 57% and 57% of the infants, respectively. Of corroding bacilli, Bacteroides gracilis was detected in 23% of the infants, Wolinella spp. and microaerophilic Eikenella corrodens in one infant (3% each). Leptotrichia spp., microaerophilic Capnocytophaga spp., Prevotella (Bacteroides) loescheii and Prevotella (Bacteroides) intermedia were found in 17%, 13%, 13% and 7% of the infants, respectively. In addition to these 30 infants, 21 edentulous infants were investigated for the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans only. A. actinomycetemcomitans was not detected in any of the 51 edentulous infants. The number of different anaerobic bacterial species in the same mouth varied from 0 to 7. No anaerobic bacteria were detected in 3 of 30 children (10%). These data suggest that various anaerobic bacterial species readily colonize the edentulous mouth in infants.