Periodontitis Bacteria Interacts Well With Colon and Dirt Microbes

Research led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has found the bacteria responsible for acute periodontitis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), fared better when paired with bacteria and microbes not from the oral microbiome, but those found in the colon and dirt.

The team manipulated and tracked Aa’ 2,100 genes while pairing the bacteria with 25 other microbes (half from the mouth, half from other areas of the body and environment). When Aa was the sole infector in an infected mouse, its genes paired with a microbe from colon, dirt or skin in order to survive. Pairing with another microbe that it normally didn’t live around allowed Aa to not need a lot of its own genes in order to survive. However, Aa needed to use more of its own genes in order to survive when it partnered with other mouth bacteria.

These findings may provide insight into how Aa interacts with other microbes to help treat acute periodontitis.