title: Anaerobic culture to detect periodontal and caries pathogens.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anaerobic culture has been critical in our understanding of the oral microbiotas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies in advanced periodontitis in the 1970's revealed microbial complexes that associated with different clinical presentations. Taxonomy studies identified species newly-observed in periodontitis asAggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter (Wolinella) rectusand otherCampylobacterspecies, andTannerella (Bacteroides) forsythia.Anaerobic culture of initial periodontitis showed overlap in the microbiota with gingivitis, and addedSelenomonas noxiaandFilifactor alocisas putative periodontal pathogens.Porphyromonas gingivalisandT. forsythiawere found to be associated with initial periodontitis in adults. The dominant microbiota of dental caries differs from that of periodontitis. The major cariogenic species are acidogenic and acid tolerant species particularlyStreptococcus mutans, andLactobacillusandBifidobacteriumspecies. Anaerobic culture of severe early childhood caries revealed a widely diverse microbiota, comparable to that observed using cloning and sequencing. The PCR-based cloning approach, however, underestimated Actinobacteria compared with culture. Only a subset of the caries-associated microbiota was acid tolerant, with different segments of the microbiota cultured on blood agar compared to a low pH acid agar. While the major caries-associated species wasS. mutans, a new species,Scardovia wiggsiae, was significantly associated with early childhood caries. Higher counts ofS. wiggsiaewere also observed in initial white spot carious lesions in adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In periodontitis and dental caries, anaerobic culture studies of advanced disease provided a comprehensive analysis of the microbiota of these infections. Anaerobic culture highlighted the limitation of PCR with standard primers that underestimate detection of Actinobacteria.
authors: Department of Microbiology, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA ; Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School Dental Medicine, Boston MA 02115, USA.
authors: Anne C R
authors: AC
authors: Tanner
keywords: 16S rRNA; Anaerobic culture; Caries; Microbiome; Periodontitis