Chronic maternal and fetal Porphyromonas gingivalis exposure during pregnancy in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to develop a rabbit model of maternal exposure to Porphyromonas gingivalis and determine whether fetal or placental exposure occurs.


METHODS
Subcutaneous steel chambers were implanted in 8 New Zealand White female rabbits. On day 7 of pregnancy, 4 rabbits were inoculated through the chamber with 5 x 10 8 CFU/mL live P gingivalis , and 4 rabbits with broth (controls) and sacrificed at term. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect P gingivalis in maternal and fetal liver and placenta. Fisher exact test was used to compare P gingivalis detection between groups.


RESULTS
Among exposed does, P gingivalis was detected in 33% of the maternal livers, 49% of placentas, and 34% fetal livers compared with none from controls ( P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic maternal exposure to P gingivalis results in systemic dissemination, transplacental passage, and fetal exposure. This model may be useful to study placental and fetal effects of this oral pathogen and to study microbial dissemination across the placenta.
Boggess
Kim A
KA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. kboggess@med.unc.edu
Madianos
Phoebus N
PN
Preisser
John S
JS
Moise
Kenneth J
KJ
Offenbacher
Steven
S
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D018988:Bacterial Translocation; D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000382:microbiology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D010920:Placenta / Q000382:microbiology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D011817:Rabbits
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G