Clinical Investigation of Bacteriome in Primary Endodontic Infections With Apical Periodontitis Using High-Throughput...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Genomics
• Oral Health

Background:

• Primary endodontic infection (PEI) with apical periodontitis (AP) involves a complex oral microbiome.
• Understanding the bacteriome's composition and diversity is crucial for diagnosing and treating AP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the bacteriome in PEI with AP.
• To identify core and rare bacteriome species and community diversity metrics.
• To analyze associations between bacteriome features and patient variables.

Main Methods:

• V3-V4 amplicon sequencing of 24 root canal samples from 27 patients with PEI and AP.
• Bioinformatic analysis using DADA2 pipeline and Human Oral Microbiome Database for taxonomic assignment.
• Statistical analyses including ANCOM, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson indexes, LefSe, and Sparse Estimation of Correlations among Microbiomes.

Main Results:

• Identified major bacterial phyla: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Synergistetes, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria.
• Characterized 113 genera and 215 species, with samples clustering into 3 distinct groups.
• Found significant differences in bacteriome composition related to patient age, gender, symptomatology, and lesion size.

Conclusions:

• The bacteriome in PEI with AP is complex and exhibits significant microbial heterogeneity.
• Patient demographics and clinical factors are associated with distinct bacteriome profiles in AP.