title: Competition for glucose between Candida albicans and oral bacteria grown in mixed culture in a chemostat.
abstract: The competition for glucose as a growth-limiting substrate between Candida albicans and a mixed community of oral bacteria was investigated. A chemostat was operated under glucose-limiting and glucose excess conditions at a dilution rate of 0.05/h. A mixed population of oral bacteria was established and after a steady state had been reached the chemostat was inoculated with C. albicans. Seven bacterial species Streptococcus sanguis, S. sobrinus, S. mitis, Lactobacillus casei, Veillonella dispar, Eubacterium saburreum and Fusobacterium nucleatum - were able to establish stable populations under glucose-limiting conditions. The yeast was unable to grow with the bacteria under glucose limitation. Only three bacterial species, S. sobrinus, L. casei and E. saburreum, became established under glucose-excess conditions. C. albicans was also able to become established in the glucose-excess chemostat and could grow and maintain a steady state in a mixed culture with these organisms. L. casei, S. mitis and S. sobrinus had faster glucose consumption rates than C. albicans. All the bacteria, except for E nucleatum, had maximum specific growth rates higher than C. albicans. The results suggest that glucose may act as a growth-limiting substrate for C. albicans in the establishment and growth of the yeast in a mixed community of oral bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Oral and Dental Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Basson
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D005051:Eubacterium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014678:Veillonella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005947:Glucose