Novel bacterial proteolytic and metabolic activity associated with dental erosion-induced oral dysbiosis.

Background: Dental erosion is a disease of the oral cavity where acids cause a loss of tooth enamel and is defined as having no bacterial involvement. The tooth surface is protected from acid attack by salivary proteins that make up the acquired enamel pellicle (AEP). Bacteria have been shown to readily degrade salivary proteins, and some of which are present in the AEP.

Salivary bacterial community profile in normal-weight and obese adolescent patients prior to orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the intra-oral bacterial profile of normal-weight and obese adolescents prior to orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances.

Materials And Methods: Nineteen adolescent patients were recruited into two groups based upon body mass index (BMI) and classified as normal-weight or obese. Unstimulated whole mouth saliva was obtained for 5 minutes.

Evidence for Proline Utilization by Oral Bacterial Biofilms Grown in Saliva.

Within the mouth bacteria are starved of saccharides as their main nutrient source between meals and it is unclear what drives their metabolism. Previously oral biofilms grown in saliva have shown proteolytic degradation of salivary proteins and increased extracellular proline. Although arginine and glucose have been shown before to have an effect on oral biofilm growth and activity, there is limited evidence for proline.

Mixed aerobic-anaerobic incubation conditions induce proteolytic activity from in vitro salivary biofilms.

Oral biofilms have not been studied using both metabolome and protein profiling concurrently. Bacteria produce proteases that lead to degradation of functional salivary proteins. The novel protocol described here allows for complete characterisation of  oral biofilms, including proteolytic, metabolic, and microbiome analysis.

A case of polymicrobial anaerobic spondylodiscitis due to and .

Here, we present a case of polymicrobial anaerobic spondylodiscitis. A forty-five year-old female patient was referred to a specialist orthopaedic hospital with an eight week history of back pain without fevers. X-ray imaging and magnetic resonance imaging showed acute osteomyelitis of the twelfth thoracic and first lumbar vertebrae.