title: Horizontal transmission of mutans streptococci in children.
abstract: It has not been established whether transmission of mutans streptococci occurs between unrelated children older than 4 years of age. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible transmission of mutans streptococci genotypes from child to child in kindergarten. We studied 96 children (ages 5-6 yrs) in three San Francisco Bay Area public schools. Mutans streptococci colonies from each child were isolated from selective culture on Mitis Salivarius Sucrose Bacitracin agar. We used arbitrary primed polymerase chain reactions to determine the mutans streptococci genotypes. Two children (not siblings) in each of the three schools (6%) shared an identical amplitype of S. mutans, unique to each pair. The 19 S. sobrinus amplitypes were found in 12 children, and all were unique to each child. The presence of matching genotypes of S. mutans demonstrates horizontal transmission of this species between unrelated children aged 5-6 years.
authors.affiliation: Faculté d'Odontologie, EA3847, CHU, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doméjean
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: DenBesten
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stamper
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Boyce
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Featherstone
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial