title: Site-specific oral colonization of mutans streptococci detected by arbitrarily primed PCR fingerprinting.
abstract: The clonal diversity and colonization pattern of mutans streptococci within an individual were studied by using a total of 50 tooth site samples obtained from seven 3- to 7-year-old children. Five children contributed saliva samples. From the 7 subjects, 90, 74, 81, 53, 83, 103, and 114 isolates (a total of 598) representing Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus were included for arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) fingerprinting. The children harbored one to four different AP-PCR types of mutans streptococci. In 3 of the 7 children, the distribution of AP-PCR types of S. mutans differed depending on tooth site (chi-square test for heterogeneity, p<0.001), suggesting that mutans streptococcal clones may selectively colonize specific hard-tissue sites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Orthodontics, Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Finland. Lisa.Gronroos@Helsinki.fi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grönroos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alaluusua
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D017931:DNA Primers; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000382:microbiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D012703:Serotyping; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D016986:Streptococcus sobrinus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D014070:Tooth / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers