Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-20-2004

Publication Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Volume

101

Issue Number

16

First Page

6176

Last Page

6181

DOI

10.1073/pnas.0308766101

Disciplines

Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology | Pathogenic Microbiology

Abstract

Archaea have been isolated from the human colon, vagina, and oral cavity, but have not been established as causes of human disease. In this study, we reveal a relationship between the severity of periodontal disease and the relative abundance of archaeal small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (SSU rDNA) in the subgingival crevice by using quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the relative abundance of archaeal small subunit rDNA decreased at treated sites in association with clinical improvement. Archaea were harbored by 36% of periodontitis patients and were restricted to subgingival sites with periodontal disease. The presence of archaeal cells at these sites was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization. The archaeal community at diseased sites was dominated by a Methanobrevibacter oralis-like phylotype and a distinct Methanobrevibacter subpopulation related to archaea that inhabit the gut of numerous animals. We hypothesize that methanogens participate in syntrophic relationships in the subgingival crevice that promote colonization by secondary fermenters during periodontitis. Because they are potential alternative syntrophic partners, our finding of larger Treponema populations sites without archaea provides further support for this hypothesis.

Comments

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2004 April 20; 101(16): 6176–6181. © 2004, The National Academy of Sciences. BioMed Central doi: 10.1073/pnas.0308766101. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC395942/?tool=pubmed

At the time of publication Cleber Ouverney was not yet affiliated with San Jose State University.

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