Specific antibodies against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in serum and saliva of patients with advanced periodontitis

The aim of the present study was to discover any possible correlation between specific antibodies against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) in serum and saliva. The test group consisted of 38 patients aged 31–68 yr (mean 49) with advanced periodontitis. Twenty-nine subjects aged 23–67 yr, without periodontal destruction, formed a control group with a reference level of specific salivary antibodies against A.a. A subgingival plaque sample for culturing A.a. , a specimen of stimulated whole saliva, and a sample of venous blood were taken from each subject of the test group. Specific IgG and IgA antibodies against A.a. were determined from serum and stimulated whole saliva by means of the ELISA test. Fifteen of the patients (39%) had cultivable A.a. Six of the 15 A.a. culture-positive patients and one of the 29 reference subjects exhibited very high antibody titers against A.a. in saliva. Specific IgG and IgA antibodies in saliva correlated highly significantly with the corresponding antibody values in serum among the patients in the test group. It was concluded that among patients with severe adult periodontitis, the less invasive saliva sample has a diagnostic value equal to that of the serum sample concerning specific antibodies against A.a.