| Institution: | 1. Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92161, USA;2. VA San Diego Healthcare Center, San Diego, CA 92161, USA;3. Divisions of Associated Clinical Sciences, University of California of Los Angeles School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;4. Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;5. Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, CA 92161, USA |
| Abstract: | An abscess in a gum pocket, resulting from bacterial infection, is a common source of chronic halitosis. Although antibiotics are generally prescribed for abscesses, they require multiple treatments with risks of creating resistant bacterial strains. Here we develop a novel vaccine using ultraviolet-inactivated Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), a representative oral bacterium for halitosis. A gum pocket model, established by continuous inoculation of F. nucleatum, was employed to validate the vaccine potency. Mice immunized with inactivated F. nucleatum effectively minimized the progression of abscesses, measured by swollen tissues of gum pockets. Most notably, the immunized mice were capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies against the production of volatile sulfur compounds of F. nucleatum. The novel vaccine inducing protective immunity provides an alternative option to conventional antibiotic treatments for chronic halitosis associated with abscesses. |
