title: BACTERIAL PROFILE OF NECROTIC PULPS IN CHEETAH (ACINONYX JUBATUS) CANINE TEETH.
abstract: The role of microbes and their antimicrobial susceptibilities in both acute and chronic infections of the dental pulp in humans has been well studied. Presently, no data are available on endodontic pathogens in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the bacteria found in the canine teeth of cheetahs, where the pulp was necrotic and exposed due to a complicated crown fracture. Thirty-six microbiologic samples were taken from root canals (RCs) of the canine teeth of 19 cheetahs: one pulp sample was taken from 10 cheetahs, four samples from 2 cheetahs, two samples from 3 cheetahs, and three samples from 4 cheetahs. Exposed pulps were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria; an additional screening with a 16S rRNA-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the last six samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates was determined by use of the Kirby-Bauer diffusion test. In total, 59 cultivable isolates belonging to 19 microbial species and 13 genera were recovered from the 36 RCs sampled. Only two samples yielded no cultivable bacteria. Thirty-two (54.49%) of the cultivable isolates were Gram positive and 27 (45.71%) were Gram negative. The maximum number of isolates cultivated from an individual RC was six. Facultative anaerobes (62.72%) were the most common bacteria of the RCs that yielded cultivable bacteria. Of the isolates, 28.81% were aerobic and 8.47% were strict anaerobes. The antimicrobials that showed the greatest efficacy in vitro against the different bacteria isolates were amikacin and gentamicin. The more common bacterial species isolated by PCR were anaerobes (60.8%), facultative anaerobes (30.2%), and aerobes (8.6%).
authors.forename: José C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Almansa Ruiz
authors.forename: Anna-Mari
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bosman
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steenkamp
mesh_terms: D002612:Acinonyx; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology*; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000382:microbiology*; D003790:Dental Pulp Necrosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Acinonyx jubatus; Antimicrobial; bacteria; polymerase chain reaction; pulp exposure; root canal therapy