Centipeda periodontii in human periodontitis

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Periodontology
• Oral Health

Background:

• Centipeda periodontii is a Gram-negative anaerobic rod implicated in periodontal disease.
• Assessing its prevalence and antibiotic resistance is crucial for understanding periodontitis etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the subgingival occurrence of Centipeda periodontii in chronic periodontitis and healthy/gingivitis patients.
• To evaluate the in vitro antibiotic resistance of C. periodontii isolates to amoxicillin, metronidazole, and doxycycline.

Main Methods:

• Species-specific DNA probes were used to detect C. periodontii in subgingival plaque from 307 chronic periodontitis and 48 healthy/gingivitis adults.
• 52 C. periodontii isolates underwent in vitro antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Main Results:

• C. periodontii occurred significantly more in chronic periodontitis (13.4%) than healthy/gingivitis (0%) subjects (P < 0.003).
• High subgingival counts (≥ 10^6 cells) were rare (1.3% of periodontitis subjects).
• No resistance to amoxicillin or metronidazole was observed; doxycycline resistance was found in only 3.9% of isolates.

Conclusions:

• Centipeda periodontii is not a major component of the subgingival microbiome in periodontitis or gingivitis.
• Its role in periodontal breakdown in specific cases requires further investigation.
• Clinical isolates of C. periodontii remain susceptible to common periodontal antibiotics.