The presence of phage-infected Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in localized juvenile periodontitis patients

Electron microscopy revealed 2 different types of bacteriophages isolated from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans colonizing exclusively diseased sites in 4 patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP). All sites infected with phage were undergoing periodontal destruction, as judged from consecutive routine radiographs. The phages isolated had a wide host range as assessed from their ability to infect a series of reference strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans. A 5th patient harboured non-infected A. actinomycetemcomitans in a surgically treated site which had undergone no bone destruction during the last 12 months. The present findings suggested that the pathogenic potential of A. actinomycetemcomitans in LJP may increase due to phage infection.