The effect of mustard gas on the biological activity of soil

A special group of substances that are very dangerous for the biosphere includes war gases such as mustard gas (bis(2-chloroethyl)sulphide). The influence of mustard gas hydrolysis products (MGHPs) on soil microbiota has been investigated. These substances bear numerous toxic effects on soil microorganisms. They change significantly the number and the specific composition of soil microbiota and inhibit the enzyme activity of soils. The main "ecological targets" of mustard and its hydrolysis products' toxic action have been determined. MGHPs affect the growth and reproduction of soil micromycetes, as well as their morphological and cultural properties. Increase in number and size of mitochondria in the fungal cells is accompanied by increase in dehydrogenases activity. Cell permeability influenced by MGHPs grows in connection with concentration of toxicants. Increase of permeability corresponds to growth of the amount of unsaturated fatty acids. The changes in the fatty acid composition of lipids in the cells of the soil micromycetes display their adaptation to adverse impact of the substances studied. MGHPs and thiodiglycol enhance synthesis of polysaccharides and pigments.     

Comparison of the indigenous oral microbiota and immunoglobulin responses of athymic (nu/nu) and euthymic (nu/+) mice

The role of the immune system in the homeostasis of indigenous oral bacterial populations is poorly understood. In this study, we compared the evolution of the indigenous oral microbiota of specific pathogen-free athymic nude ( nu/nu ) BALB/c mice with that of their corresponding phenotypically normal ( nu /+) littermates. We also evaluated corresponding salivary and serum antibody activities (IgA and IgG) against the predominant indigenous oral bacteria. The bacterial species recovered from the two mouse strains were Lactobacillus murinus, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus oralis and Staphylococcus epidermidis . From 27 days of age, nu /+ and nu/nu mice had significantly different proportions of oral bacterial populations. When the microbiota stabilized (at 40 days of age), the total cultivable microbiota of nu /+ mice was dominated by L. murinus (65–85%), while that of nu/nu mice was dominated by E. faecalis (40–60%). The precise factors that alter the oral resident microbiota in nu/nu mice are unknown. We found that total salivary IgA levels were significantly lower in nu/nu mice, but no association were observed between the level of salivary IgA antibody against indigenous bacteria and the proportion of these indigenous bacteria in the oral microbiota. The change in the microbiota of nude mice may have been caused by other factors such as defects in other immune functions or cold stress.     

The effect of subgingival debridement on periodontal disease parameters and the subgingival microbiota

Abstract The aim of the present investigation was to analyse the effect of subgingival scaling and root planing in subjects who prior to treatment exercised meticulous supragingival plaque control. 300 subjects were examined at baseline and after 1 and 2 years without treatment. After the year 2 examination, 62 subjects were randomly selected for therapy. They were given detailed instruction in proper self-performed toothcleaning measures and were carefully monitored during the subsequent 2 years. Following the year-4 examination, 2 quadrants, 1 maxillary and 1 mandibular in each subject, were randomly selected for additional therapy. The teeth in the selected quadrants were exposed to subgingival scaling and root planing. The subgingival therapy was repeated until a site no longer bled on gentle probing. This basic therapy was completed within a 2-month period. All subjects were re-examined after another 12-month interval. The examinations at year 4 and 5 included assessment of plaque, gingivitis, probing pocket depth and analysis of samples obtained from the subgingival microbiota at 134 selected sites. The findings from the present study demonstrated: (i) that subgingival scaling and root planing were effective in eliminating subgingival plaque and gingivitis; (ii) that professional therapy resulted in a pronounced reduction of probing depth at sites which at year 4 had a probing depth >3 mm; (iii) that in non-scaled quadrants, the extension of self-performed plaque control resulted in a continued improvement of the periodontal conditions at sites which at year 4 were < 5 mm deep.     

Comparison of the subgingival microbiota of periodontally healthy and diseased adults in Northern Cameroon

Abstract Our study is the 1st report on subgingival microbiota in adult Cameronians. The aim was to investigate, using the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique, the prevalence of 18 oral species in subgingival plaque samples obtained from sex- and age-matched Cameronian adults with and without periodontal destruction. We also compared cultivation and the Affirm^TM DP test with the checkerboard technique in their capability to detect some selected species among the 18, 21 adult periodontitis patients and 21 periodontally healthy subjects were examined and the results were compared statistically. Each periodontitis patient had at least 4 pockets of ≥ 6 mm depth, while the healthy subjects had no sites more than 3 mm deep. Results of the checkerboard analysis showed that significantly (p<0.05) more periodontitis patients tested positive for most of the 18 bacterial species. The Gram-positive species Actinomyces naeslundii, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus sanguis, known as microbiota of healthy sites, were detected significantly more frequently in the healthy group. Cultivation demonstrated P. gingivalis, B. forsythus, A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. intermedia and F. nucleatum in significantly lower %s of patients as compared to the checkerboard technique. Furthermore, the Affirm^TM DP test detected P. gingivalis and B. forsythus in significantly fewer patients than did the checkerboard technique. A. actinomycetemcomitans was detected in 52.3% of the patients by the latter technique while the Affirm^TM DP test failed to detect the bacterium in any of the samples. Overall, the results of the present study confirm the importance of the screening method and indicate that the prevalences of the investigated putative periodontal pathogens and beneficial species in the healthy and diseased adult Cameronians were similar to those reported for adults in the West and in some developing countries.     

变性梯度胶电泳分析不同喂养方式对早产新生儿肠道菌群的影响

目的采用变性梯度胶电泳方法(DGGE)研究喂养方式对早产新生儿肠道茵群的影响.方法收集同期6对新生儿1～21 d粪便,直接提取细菌总DNA,扩增16S rDNA V6～V8区后DGGE分离,测序并与EMBL核苷序列数据库进行比较.结果喂养前肠道菌群类似,以梭状芽孢杆菌、链球菌、克雷伯氏茵为主,开奶后母乳喂养儿以双歧杆茵为主,奶粉喂养儿肠道茵群显示其明显的多态性,有双歧杆菌、梭状芽孢杆菌、链球菌、大肠杆茵、克雷伯氏菌、韦荣氏茵、沙雷氏茵以及不经培养细菌.结论喂养方式对早产新生儿茵群的形成及演替有明显影响,PCR-DGGE在多态性,动力性,茵群的演进变化方面提供了更加准确的数据和补充资料.     

Influence of narrow-band UVB phototherapy on cutaneous microbiota of children with atopic dermatitis

OBJECTIVE: In the present work, the effect of narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy on a cutaneous microbial population was evaluated in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and compared with control patients (vitiligo). METHODS: Count, isolation and identification of cutaneous microbiota from anticubital fossa were performed in 10 controls and 10 AD patients, both submitted to similar levels (P > 0.05) of UVB phototherapy (4.3 +/- 0.9 and 4.3 +/- 0.8 accumulated joules, respectively). Additionally, Staphylococcus aureus isolates were screened for the production of exotoxins. RESULTS: The total and staphylococcal cutaneous microbial population levels were higher (P < 0.05) in AD patients than in the controls. All these population levels decreased (P < 0.05) for both AD and control patients after UVB phototherapy, which also decreased the SCORAD for AD patients. All patients with AD and 50% of controls were carriers of S. aureus, and harboured the bacteria simultaneously on skin and anterior nares. All of the S. aureus strains recovered from AD patient skin produced toxin and the B type was the most frequently detected (70%), followed by C (20%) and A (10%) toxins. Only 40% of the S. aureus isolates from control patients produced toxin. After UVB treatment, microbial population levels of AD patients were similar (P > 0.05) to the ones found in control patients before phototherapy, and toxin production ability of S. aureus isolates decreased drastically. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study show the beneficial effect of UVB phototherapy on AD and suggest that this may be attributable not only to reduction of skin surface bacteria but also to the suppression of superantigen production from S. aureus.     

Changes in root canal microbiota during the development of rat periapical lesions

Periapical lesions are reproducibly induced in rats by pulp exposure and infection from the oral cavity. Lesions expand rapidly between day 7 and day 15-20 (active phase), with slowed expansion thereafter. In the present study we characterized the root canal microbiota present during the active phase of lesion development in this system. The mandibular first molars of Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed on day 0. The teeth were extracted after 7 days ( n = 10 animals) and 15 days ( n = 10), and the microbiota present in roots was isolated and characterized. The number of colonies isolated per tooth was similar on day 7 (1.53 ± 0.64 colony-forming units × 10³) and day 15 (1.49 ± 0.37 colony-forming units × 10³). No colonies were isolated from unexposed control teeth. Anaerobic bacteria increased significantly between day 7 (24.3 ± 5.7%) and day 15 (47.3 ± 7.5%), and the proportion of gram-negative organisms increased from day 7 (24.3 ± 6.1) to day 15 (46.9 ± 6.8). The predominant bacteria included, on day 7: Streptococcus and Bacteroides species; on day 15: species of Streptococcus, Bacieroides, Prevotclla, Neisseria and Peptostreptococcus. Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus rattus, Bacteroides pneumosinles and Bacteroides ureolyticus were frequently isolated at both points. Although approximately the same mean number of different species (∼3.5) was isolated per tooth on both day 7 and 15, the overall diversity of the isolates increased on day 15. These results demonstrate that the root canal microbiota becomes increasingly gram-negative and anaerobic with the emergence of Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, Prevotella and Neisseria during the period of rapid lesion expansion in this model.     

Biofilms in the Edentulous Oral Cavity

Purpose: The oral cavity presents numerous surfaces for microbial colonization. These surfaces produce biofilms of differing complexities unique to each individual. Several studies have looked at biofilms in dentate patients. There has been limited research regarding biofilms on dentures or soft tissues of edentulous patients. The purpose of the present investigation was to provide meaningful data describing microbial ecological relationships in the oral cavity of edentulous patients and to evaluate the microbiota on hard and soft tissue surfaces and saliva in edentulous patients wearing complete dentures. Materials and Methods: Sixty‐one edentulous subjects with complete maxillary and mandibular dentures were recruited. “Supragingival” biofilm samples were taken from 28 denture teeth for each subject. Biofilm samples were also taken from the dorsal, lateral, and ventral surfaces of the tongue, floor of mouth, buccal mucosa, hard palate, vestibule/lip, “attached gingiva,” and saliva. Samples were individually analyzed for their content of 41 bacterial species using checkerboard DNA–DNA hybridization. Levels and proportions of each species were determined for every sample location. Results: Periodontal pathogens such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were clearly present in the samples from the edentulous subjects. Microbial profiles in samples from the soft tissue surfaces differed among site locations. Samples from the dorsum of the tongue exhibited the highest bacterial counts followed by the “attached gingiva” and the lateral surfaces of the tongue, while the lowest mean counts were found in samples from the buccal mucosa and labial vestibules. Using cluster analysis of the proportions of the test species, three clusters were formed. The first cluster comprised saliva, supragingival plaque, and the lateral and dorsal surfaces of the tongue. The second cluster comprised the other six soft tissue surfaces. Species on the denture palate formed a third cluster. Conclusions: One of the major findings in this study was the detection of periodontal pathogens, A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis, in the edentulous subjects, as these species were thought to disappear after removal of all natural teeth. This finding has implications regarding future dental treatment and the general health of individuals. Distinct patterns of microbial colonization were seen on the different soft tissue surfaces. Thus, this investigation provided the first step in defining the organisms that are associated with edentulous patients on both soft (mucosa) and hard surfaces (denture). The study also provided meaningful data that described microbial ecological relationships in the oral cavity of edentulous subjects. The authors believe that this study is the first comprehensive assessment of the microbiota in the complete denture‐wearing subject.     

Intestinal microbiota and immunoglobulin E responses in 5-year-old Estonian children

BACKGROUND: Over the last few decades, several studies from different parts of the world have indicated an increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. This has been related to environmental factors, like changes of microbial pressure. Our previous studies have demonstrated differences in the intestinal microbiota between allergic and non-allergic children. AIM: To test the hypothesis that the intestinal microbiota and IgE response are related, both in allergic and non-allergic 5-year-old Estonian children. METHODS: The study group comprised 19 allergic and 19 non-allergic 5-year-old children, selected from a larger group who had been followed from birth. The diagnosis of allergy was based on clinical examination of the children and on data obtained from the questionnaires. The faecal microbiota were quantified by seeding serial dilutions on nine different media for incubation in different environment. The composition of the gut microbiota was expressed both as absolute counts of the various species and their relative share among the total counts of identified microbiota. RESULTS: Bifidobacteria were less commonly detected in children with allergic diseases than in healthy children and clostridia comprised a higher proportion among their gut microbes. Children with specific IgE antibodies to defined allergens had higher counts of clostridia and the counts of clostridia correlated with the level of serum IgE, but only so in allergic children. In non-allergic children, the serum IgE levels showed a positive correlation with the counts of bacteroides. CONCLUSION: The development of allergic diseases seems to be associated with the composition of the gut microbial ecosystem. High counts of potential pathogens, such as clostridia, are associated with clinical manifestations of allergy and IgE antibody formation.     

Similarity of the oral microbiota of pre-school children with that of their caregivers in a population-based study

This study evaluated the similarity between the oral microbiota of young children and that of their adult caregivers. Oral samples from children (174 dentate and 18 pre-dentate) aged 6-36 months and their caregivers in Saipan were assayed using a DNA probe assay. Many species including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Actinomyces species, Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis were detected in dentate and pre-dentate children, whereas Bacteroides forsythus was detected only in dentate children. A higher percentage of children were positive for the detection of an individual species if the caregiver was also positive. There were significant relative risks of species detection between dentate children and their caregivers. By logistic regression, there were significant positive associations between species detection in caregiver and in child, but not between species detection and child age or maternal education level. In conclusion, dental pathogens were detected in young, including pre-dentate, children. The microbial profiles of children were strongly associated with the microbiota of their caregivers.