title: Fusobacterium nucleatum involvement in adult periodontitis and possible modification of strain classification.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This investigation was designed to evaluate the involvement of Fusobacterium nucleatum clinical strains in adult periodontitis by subspecies and expression of hemagglutination activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine Fusobacterium strains were isolated from 40 sites in 40 subjects presenting with adult periodontitis. F. nucleatum subspecies identification was based on the electrophoretic migration of glutamate dehydrogenase and 2-oxoglutarate reductase. Hemagglutination activity and inhibition by galactose were tested on sheep erythrocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 49 isolates belonged to the F. nucleatum species with a predominance of the nucleatum (34.7%) followed by the vincentii (26.5%) subspecies. In parallel, 71% of the strains belonging to the nucleatum subspecies were preferentially associated with Porphyromonas gingivalis. Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens detection was essentially correlated with identification of Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies vincentii. No correlation was established between any particular subspecies and the pathogenicity factors tested (hemagglutination and production of short-chain fatty acids). On the other hand, significant predominance (65%, P= 0.017) of strongly hemagglutinating strains (titre > or =8 U) was observed in the sites where Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens and/or Campylobacter rectus were not detected. These strains also showed higher butyric acid production.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The importance of the adherence factors for Fusobacterium nucleatum strains and their multimodal aspect may indicate a higher pathogenicity or a higher involvement of certain strains and could lead to a classification of these strains, which is more closely related to their implication in the development of periodontal disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Bacteriologie, Virologie et Microbiologie Industrielle, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. CH.Roques@wanadoo.fr
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Roques
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: El kaddouri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barthet
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Duffort
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arellano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C023858:2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase