Complex Intratissue Microbiota Forms Biofilms in Periodontal Lesions

Area of Science:

• Oral microbiology
• Periodontology
• Infectious diseases

Background:

• Periodontitis results from dysbiotic subgingival bacterial communities.
• Bacterial invasion into gingival tissues is a potential consequence of periodontitis.
• The microbial composition within periodontal lesion tissues remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the microbiota within periodontal lesion tissues.
• To compare intratissue microbiota with subgingival plaque microbiota.
• To investigate the role of biofilms in periodontal disease progression.

Main Methods:

• Collected gingival tissues and subgingival plaques from 7 chronic periodontitis patients.
• Performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbial community analysis.
• Utilized alcian blue staining and atomic force microscopy to visualize biofilms.

Main Results:

• Intratissue and plaque communities showed similar species richness and diversity.
• Intratissue communities exhibited lower intersubject variability than plaque communities.
• Intratissue microbiota had reduced Firmicutes and increased Fusobacteria and Chloroflexi, with high enrichment of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis.
• Biofilms were observed within tissues, associated with connective tissue fiber degradation.

Conclusions:

• Complex bacterial communities exist as biofilms within the gingival tissue of periodontal lesions.
• These intratissue biofilms may serve as a reservoir for persistent periodontitis infection.
• Findings suggest novel therapeutic strategies targeting these biofilms are warranted.