title: General immune status and oral microbiology in patients with different forms of periodontitis and healthy control subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immunological processes in the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis, especially the aggressive form, are not well understood. This study examined clinical as well as systemic immunological and local microbiological features in healthy controls and patients with different forms of periodontitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  14 healthy subjects, 15 patients diagnosed with aggressive periodontitis, and 11 patients with chronic periodontitis were recruited. Periodontal examination was performed and peripheral blood was collected from each patient. Lymphocyte populations as well as the release of cytokines by T-helper cells were determined by flow cytometry and enzyme linked immunosorbent spot assay. Subgingival plaque samples were taken from each individual and immediately cultivated for microbiological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with lipopolysaccharide, a higher IL-1β release was found in patients with moderate chronic periodontitis compared to the other groups (p<0.01). Numbers of B-cells, naïve and transitional B-cells, memory B-cells, and switched memory B-cells were within the reference range for all groups, but patients with chronic periodontitis showed the highest percentage of memory B-cells without class switch (p = 0.01). The subgingival plaque differed quantitatively as well as qualitatively with a higher number of Gram-negative anaerobic species in periodontitis patients. Prevotella denticola was found more often in patients with aggressive periodontitis (p<0.001) but did not show an association to any of the systemic immunological findings. Porphyromonas gingivalis, which was only found in patients with moderate chronic periodontitis, seems to be associated with an activation of the systemic immune response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences between aggressive periodontitis and moderate chronic periodontitis are evident, which raises the question of an inadequate balance between systemic immune response and bacterial infection in aggressive periodontitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Periodontology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Periodontology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jentsch
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Catalina-Suzana
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Stingu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TRM), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D018720:Prevotella / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta