Opsonic antibody activity against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis.

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans has been closely associated with early-onset, severe periodontitis, and such patients often have serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies reactive with antigens of this gram-negative pathogen. We examined the functionality and potential importance of these antibodies. The opsonic activity against A. actinomycetemcomitans of sera from 30 patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP) and from 28 periodontally normal subjects was tested by using polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) chemiluminescence and bactericidal assays. Peak chemiluminescence values correlated strongly with killing observed in the PMN-dependent bactericidal assay (r = 0.88; P < 0.001). Neither the mean IgG titer nor the mean peak chemiluminescence differed significantly between the two groups. However, when the relationship between chemiluminescence and titer was examined, regression analysis showed that antibodies present in low-titer normal sera were significantly more effective at opsonizing A. actinomycetemcomitans than antibodies present in low-titer RPP patient sera (P = 0.04). Thus, periodontally normal individuals may be better able than RPP patients to clear A. actinomycetemcomitans in early stages of colonization, and anti-A. actinomycetemcomitans antibodies in RPP patients may be relatively ineffective in preventing infection by this organism.     

Serology of oral Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and serotype distribution in human periodontal disease.

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from the human oral cavity was serologically characterized with rabbit antisera to the type strain NCTC 9710; a number of reference strains, including Y4, ATCC 29522, ATCC 29523, ATCC 29524, NCTC 9709; and our own isolates representative of each of 10 biotypes. Using immunoabsorbed antisera, we identified three distinct serotypes by immunodiffusion and indirect immunofluorescence. Serotype a was represented by ATCC 29523 and SUNYaB 75; serotype b was represented by ATCC 29522 and Y4; and serotype c was represented by NCTC 9710 and SUNYaB 67. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed no reaction between the three A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype-specific antisera and 62 strains representing 23 major oral bacterial species. Distinct from the serotype antigens were at least one A. actinomycetemcomitans species common antigen and an antigen shared with other Actinobacillus species, Haemophilus aphrophilus, and Haemophilus paraphrophilus. All serotype a A. actinomycetemcomitans strains failed to ferment xylose, whereas all serotype b organisms fermented xylose. Serotype c included xylose-positive as well as xylose-negative strains. A total of 301 isolates of A. actinomycetemcomitans from the oral cavity of 74 subjects were serologically categorized by indirect immunofluorescence with serotype-specific rabbit antisera. Each patient harbored only one serotype of A. actinomycetemcomitans. Fourteen healthy subjects, five diabetics, and seventeen adult periodontitis patients exhibited serotypes a and b in approximately equal frequency, whereas serotype c was found less frequently. In contrast, in 29 localized juvenile periodontitis patients, the incidence of serotype b was approximately two times higher than that of serotypes a or c, suggesting a particularly high periodontopathic potential of A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype b strains. In subjects infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans, serum antibodies were detected to the serotype antigens, indicating that these antigens may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.     

PCR detection of specific Leishmania-DNA in patients with periodontal disease

This study deals with the detection of Leishmania braziliensis DNA in gingival specimens from 10 individuals who all had suffered from cutaneous leishmaniasis 5-10 years prior to the examination and all had been treated with anti-leishmaniasis drugs. This preliminary study gives an interesting contribution to the oral microbiology of this disease, with the observation that inflamed periodontal tissues can serve as a factor affecting the dispersion of Leishmania parasites in individuals who had suffered from cutaneous leishmaniasis. These finding are corroborated by the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which demonstrated the presence of Leishmania DNA in tissue samples of patients with periodontal diseases.     

Serum elastin-derived peptides and anti-elastin antibody in patients with systemic sclerosis

The elastin metabolism in systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been known to be abnormal. The authors investigated relationship between the clinical manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc) and serum levels of soluble elastin-derived peptide (S-EDP) and anti-elastin antibodies. Serum samples were obtained from 79 patients with SSc and 79 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Concentrations of serum S-EDP and anti-elastin antibodies were measured by ELISA. The serum concentrations of S-EDP in SSc patients were significantly higher than in healthy controls (median, 144.44 ng/mL vs 79.59 ng/mL, P < 0.001). Serum EDP concentrations were found to be correlated with disease duration in SSc (P = 0.002) and particularly in diffuse cutaneous SSc (P = 0.005). Levels of anti-elastin antibodies were found to be more elevated in SSc patients than in healthy controls (median, 0.222 U vs 0.191 U, P = 0.049), more increased in diffuse cutaneous SSc than limited cutaneous SSc (median, 0.368 U vs 0.204 U, P = 0.031). In addition, levels of anti-elastin antibodies were also found to be negatively associated with presence of anti-centromere antibody (P = 0.023). The S-EDP levels were not found to be correlated with levels of anti-elastin antibodies. The increased S-EDP and anti-elastin antibody levels and association with clinical and laboratory characteristics may reflect the abnormal metabolism in SSc.     

Effect of adoptive transfer of cloned Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific T helper cells on periodontal disease.

Previously we isolated several Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific T-cell clones from the spleens and lymph nodes of immunized Rowett rats. These clones were characterized as W3/13+, W3/25+, OX8-, and OX22-, suggesting a T helper (Th) phenotype. In the current experiments, 10(6) cells from a single A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific clone (A3) were adoptively transferred to a group (AaTh; n = 13) of normal heterozygous rats (rnu/+) at 28 days of age. A second group received no T cells (AaNT; n = 15), and a third group also received no T cells (NAaNT, n = 11). Beginning 1 day after transfer, the first and second groups were infected orally with A. actinomycetemcomitans for 5 consecutive days. The presence of infection was confirmed immediately after challenge and after 5 months, when the experiments were ended. Significantly higher numbers of lymphocytes were recovered from the gingival tissues of the first group than from those of either of the other groups. Also, this group showed significantly elevated (P less than 0.01) serum immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M antibody to A. actinomycetemcomitans in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay when compared with both other groups. Bone loss was significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in recipients of A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific cloned cells when compared with the other infected group and was approximately equal to the bone loss of the uninfected group. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that T-cell regulation can affect periodontal disease. In this regulation, T helper cells appear to interfere with periodontal bone loss.     

Relationship of periodontal infection to serum antibody levels to periodontopathic bacteria and inflammatory markers in periodontitis patients with coronary heart disease

Several reports have demonstrated a possible association of periodontal infections with coronary heart disease (CHD) by elevated antibody titre to periodontopathic bacteria in CHD patients compared with non-diseased controls. Although each periodontopathic bacterium may vary in virulence for periodontitis and atherosclerosis, antibody response to multiple bacteria in CHD patients has not been understood fully. Therefore, serum levels of antibody to 12 periodontopathic bacteria together with other atherosclerotic risk markers were compared among 51 patients with CHD, 55 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis and 37 healthy individuals. The antibody response was the most prevalent for Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major causative organism, in CHD as well as periodontitis patients. However, antibody positivity was different between CHD and periodontitis if the response was analysed for two different strains of P. gingivalis, namely FDC381 and Su63. While periodontitis patients were positive for both P. gingivalis FDC381 and Su63, a high frequency of antibody positivity for P. gingivalis Su63 but not for FDC381 was observed in CHD patients. The results indicate that the presence of particular periodontopathic bacteria with high virulence may affect atherogenesis. Identifying the virulence factors of P. gingivalis Su63 may gain insight into the new therapeutic modality for infection-induced deterioration of atherosclerosis.     

Serum interleukin-2 receptor in patients with Kawasaki disease

Serum levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R) were determined by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay in 42 patients during the acute phase and in 30 at the convalescent phase of Kawasaki disease, 5 with streptococcal infection, 13 with anaphylactoid purpura, 7 with various vasculitis and also in 16 healthy children. In addition, we analysed the population of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 18 of 42 patients with KD using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Serum IL-2R levels in patients with KD were increased in the acute phase and return to the normal range in the convalescent phase. The increased serum IL-2R levels during the acute phase correlated with the percentage of peripheral blood helper/inducer T cells among the mononuclear cells. Serum IL-2R levels were increased in patients with measles who were examined as the infectious disease (viral) controls. However, serum IL-2R levels were increased neither in patients with anaphylactoid purpura nor in other diseases with vasculitis. These results suggest that immunological activation accompanied by the release of IL-2R from helper T cells in KD is similar measles virus infection and differs from vasculitis.     

Serum cytokine levels in patients with Alzheimer''s disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been proposed to be an inflammatory disorder. In a recent study, markedly elevated levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with advanced AD suggested a potential predictive value of this cytokine in patients with AD. In the present prospective study, we tested the hypothesis that the levels of TGF-beta in serum would be increased in patients with AD and could thereby serve as a diagnostic marker. We found that serum TGF-beta levels but not proinflammatory cytokine levels were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated in patients with AD (n = 22) in comparison with the levels in their healthy spousal controls. Also, serum TGF-beta levels were positively correlated (r = 0.45; P < 0.05) with disease severity. Nevertheless, the elevation in serum TGF-beta levels in patients with Ad was modest, and considerable overlap with the control values suggests that the diagnostic usefulness of this cytokine for AD is limited.     

Serum IgE levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

The role of allergy in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unclear. The present study was performed to evaluate serum levels of IgE and other immunoglobulin classes in patients with IBD. Patients with IBD had significantly elevated serum levels of both IgG and IgM in the presence of normal levels of IgA. Serum concentration of IgE, as well as the prevalence of patients with "high IgE" were significantly increased in IBD. Among patients with IBD, those with Crohn's disease or those in relapse had the highest levels of IgE. The possibility that allergy plays a pathogenic role in a subset of IBD is discussed.     

Antibody reactive with Peptostreptococcus micros in the sera of patients with periodontal disease

Subgingival plaque samples were cultured for the isolation of Peptostreptococcus micros from individuals with and without chronic periodontitis. Humoral antibody from each person reacted with P. micros in an indirect fluorescent-antibody test, but not all of the sera reacted in a passive hemolysis test. No correlations were observed between the presence of antibody reactive with P. micros and the isolation of P. micros or the gingival health of the individual.     

The mechanism of basophil histamine release in patients with periodontal disease.

Histamine release from washed peripheral blood basophils of thirty-three subjects with varying degrees of periodontal disease was studied. Dental plaque, serum and basophil leucocytes were collected from individual patients. There was no histamine release when autologous, washed sonicated plaque was added to leucocytes. However, the incubation of autologous plaque with serum at 37 degrees C for 30 min generated a factor which induced histamine release from basophils. This serum factor was stable to heat (56 degrees C, 30 min), eluted from a Sephadex G-100 column at a volume corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 16,000 daltons and its action was inhibited by antibody to C5. This factor, therefore, is probably C5a. There was a variation in the degree of histamine release seen with the leucocytes of different donors. This variability was a property of the basophil rather than a function of the serum. Basophils from patients with gingival indices of 0.5 to 1.0 had significantly more histamine release than basophils from patients with gingival indices of less than 0.5 or greater than 1.5 (P less than 0.001). These experiments demonstrate that dental plaque activates serum to form C5a which in turn releases histamine from basophils. However, these experiments do not indicate a role for IgE in this reaction since the direct interaction of plaque with basophils did not cause histamine release. The release of mediators from mast cells could play an important role in the induction of the inflammatory response in periodontal disease.     

Serum anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in Greek patients with Behcet's disease

We tested 59 Greek patients with Behcet's Disease (BD) for serum anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies. No increase of these antibodies was detected in the cases compared to 55 healthy unrelated blood donors from the same population. This finding is in contrast with the correlation between Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies and BD as reported in other populations. It seems that environmental factors may contribute to disease expression in different populations, producing different effects according to the individual's genetic predisposition. Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies do not seem to be of any significance in the Greek population.     

Humoral antibody response against Bacteroides gingivalis-specific antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody in adult periodontal patients.

An antigen recognized by monoclonal antibody specific for Bacteroides gingivalis was purified in the presence of 0.5% (wt/vol) beta-octyl-glucoside by immunoadsorbent column chromatography. The purified antigen was homogeneous as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and silver staining, and the pattern of SDS-PAGE agreed with that of immunoblotting. The molecule exhibited an apparent molecular weight of about 62,000 by SDS-PAGE. The antigen was sensitive to trypsin, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, DNase I and II, and heating, but insensitive to RNase and neuraminidase. By the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, the purified antigen was not cross-reactive with rat polyclonal antibodies to each of several black-pigmented Bacteroides species, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Eikenella corrodens, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. These results indicate that the purified antigen is specific for B. gingivalis. Humoral antibody titers in adult periodontal patients against the specific antigen were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum immunoglobulin G antibody titers against the specific antigen in adult periodontal patients correlated significantly with the severity of periodontal disease. However, such significant correlation was not observed with serum immunoglobulin M antibody titers.     

Opsonization of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans by immunoglobulin G antibody reactive with phosphorylcholine

We used two strains of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, one bearing phosphorylcholine (PC) (strain D045D-40) and one devoid of PC antigens (strain DB03A-42), as well as a nonencapsulated strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae (strain 39937), to examine the opsonic properties of physiological concentrations (相似文献   

Bacteriocin production by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans isolated from the oral cavity of humans with periodontal disease, periodontally healthy subjects and marmosets

The ability of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans to produce bacteriocin has rarely been reported. Antagonistic substance production may confer an important ecological advantage for the producer microorganisms, especially in a competitive ecosystem such as the oral cavity. In the present study, 75 A. actinomycetemcomitans strains isolated from the oral cavity of human patients with periodontal disease, periodontally healthy subjects and marmosets, as well as two reference strains (A. actinomycetemcomitans ATCC 29523 and FDC Y4) were evaluated for auto-, iso-, and heteroantagonistic activity. Fifty-one (68.00%) strains exhibited antagonistic activity; heteroantagonism was observed more often than isoantagonism. Isolated strains antagonized 17 different species of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria from the oral and nonoral microbiota. Sensitivity to heat and to proteolytic enzymes constituted strong evidence that the antagonistic substance has a proteic nature. Taken together, our data enabled us to confirm that the antagonistic substance detected was a bacteriocin. The wide spectrum of activity indicates the possibility that more than one antagonistic substance is produced and that these substances play an important role in the ecological balance of the oral ecosystem.     

The role of TG lymphocytes in cell-mediated immunity in patients with periodontal disease.

Blood mononuclear cell suspensions from patients with a severe form of periodontal disease failed to respond by in vitro stimulation to a sonicate from the oral bacterium, Veillonella alcalescens. The proliferative response could be restored by the depletion of TG cells by rosetting with IgG-coated ox erythrocytes and by reconstitution of the cell suspension with 10% plastic-adherent monocytes. Small but statistically significant restoration of the Veillonella response was also achieved by the addition of indomethacin or mefenamic acid to unfractionated cell cultures, indicating only a minor role of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis in the expression of suppressor cells. Since the in vitro response to an unrelated antigen PPD had been found unimpaired, the described TG-cell-mediated suppression of the Veillonella response is apparently antigen-specific.