Genotypic diversity of mutans streptococci in Brazilian nursery children suggests horizontal transmission.
Streptococcus mutans strains were isolated from cohorts of Brazilian nursery school children and genotyped by arbitrarily primed PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Of 24 children with two to five S. mutans isolates, 29% carried two or more genotypes. The presence of matching genotypes of S. mutans among children attending one nursery suggests horizontal transmission.
Mattos-Graner
R O
RO
Departments of Immunology, The Forsyth Institute, 140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Li
Y
Y
Caufield
P W
PW
Duncan
M
M
Smith
D J
DJ
D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012578:Schools, Nursery; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics
D004269:DNA, Bacterial