Another species of mouth bacteria identified

Mouth anatomy. Image: National Libray of Medicine

The isolation of the tissue-inhabiting bacteria could lead to better treatments for tooth decay and gum disease, say U.K. researchers

A new species of mouth bacteria, Prevotella histicola, was recently identified by scientists at King's College London Dental Institute and Cardiff University School of Dentistry. Prevotella is a type of microbe associated with periodontal disease and tooth decay, as well as infections in other parts of the body. The term histolica means "inhabitant of tissue."

The researchers isolated the bacteria by studying both healthy tissue and tumours in the mouth.  

Tooth decay and gum disease are caused by changes in the microbes normally present in the mouth.

"The healthy human mouth is home to a tremendous variety of microbes including viruses, fungi, protozoa and bacteria," said professor William Wade from King's College London Dental Institute. "The bacteria are the most numerous: there are 100 million in every millilitre of saliva and more than 600 different species in the mouth. Around half of these have yet to be named and we are trying to describe and name the new species."

Wade said the fact that the species was isolated within oral tissues, both in oral cancers and normal, healthy tissue, confirms that oral bacteria can invade both tissues and individual cells.

Understanding the composition of the oral microbiota helps scientists develop new prevention measures and treatments for oral diseases. Some antimicrobial therapies already in use include antiseptics for preventing periodontal disease and antibiotics fore treating periodontal diseaseis.

Citation:

Downes J, Hooper SJ, Wilson MJ, Wade WG, Prevotella histicola sp. nov., isolated from the human oral cavity, Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2008 Aug;58(Pt 8):1788-91.