Fusobacteria are anaerobic gram-negative, non-spore forming bacilli found in normal flora of the oral cavity, urogenital tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Fusobacterium nucleatum has been seldom reported as a cause of liver abscess, particularly in immunocompetent hosts. A 55-year-old man with frequent periodontal disease visited our hospital with intermittent fever and headache for 2 months. Abdominal CT scan revealed an 8.2x6 cm mass in the right hepatic lobe with central low density. Abscess culture revealed F. nucleatum as the causative organism. Percutaneous abscess drainage and intravenous administration of antibiotics for 4 weeks improved symptoms and decreased the abscess size. We report a rare case of liver abscess due to F. nucleatum in an immunocompetent man with periodontal disease.
Ampicillin/therapeutic use ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Fusobacterium Infections/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Fusobacterium nucleatum/*isolation & purification ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Liver Abscess/*diagnosis/etiology/microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontal Diseases/*diagnosis ; Sulbactam/therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo explore the possible correlation between coronary heart disease and periodontitis.

METHODSSubgingival plaque samples and coronary atherosclerotic plaques were harvested from a total of 31 patients with periodontitis who scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery. The bacteria DNA was obtained from subgingival plaque samples and coronary atherosclerotic plaques using the chelex-100 method. The extracted DNA was examined using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.

RESULTSIn coronary atherosclerotic plaques samples from the 31 patients, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg, 38.7%), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa, 0%), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn, 22.6%), Prevotella intermedia (Pi, 12.9%), Bacteroides forsythus (Bf, 38.7%) were detected. The concordant presence of the same periodontal bacteria DNA in subgingival plaques and in coronary atherosclerotic plaques in the same patient was Pg 5 (16.1%), Aa 0 (0%), Pi 2 (6.5%), Fn 4 (12.9%) and Bf 8 (25.8%).

CONCLUSIONSThe presence of periodontal bacteria DNA in coronary atherosclerotic plaques could indicate that periodontal pathogenic bacteria may play a role in the coronary heart disease process.

Adult ; Aged ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; isolation & purification ; Coronary Artery Disease ; microbiology ; Female ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontitis ; microbiology ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; isolation & purification ; Prevotella intermedia ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to observe the coexistence of periodontal bacteria DNA (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella. forsythensis) in coronary atheromatous plaques and subgingival plaques in patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft.

METHODSCoronary atheromatous plaque and subgingival plaque samples were obtained from 51 patients and examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique with specific primers for periodontal bacteria.

RESULTSP. gingivalis (33%), T. forsythensis (31%), P. intermedia (18%) and F. nucleatum (12%) were detected while A. actinomycetemcomitans was negative and not found in coronary atheromatous plaques; T. forsythensis (84%), F. nucleatum (78%), P. intermedia (59%), P. gingivalis (39%) and A. actinomycetemcomitans (22%) were detected in subgingival plaque samples. Coexistence of periodontal bacteria DNA in coronary atheromatous and subgingival plaque samples was evidenced in 32 patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe coexistence of T. forsythensis, F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, P. gingivalis in coronary atheromatous plaques and the subgingival plaque samples in CAD patients could suggest a potential role for periodontal pathogenic bacteria in atherosclerosis disease process.

Adult ; Aged ; Bacteroides ; isolation & purification ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; microbiology ; surgery ; DNA, Bacterial ; analysis ; Dental Plaque ; microbiology ; Female ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; isolation & purification ; Gingiva ; microbiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo detect the presence and distribution of luxS gene in quorum sensing signal system in the periodontal pathogens.

METHODSThe total DNA of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Actinobacillus acitinomycetimcomtans (Aa) were extracted. The presence of luxS was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The products of PCR were detected by electrophoresis, sequenced and identified by a Blast search of the GenBank database.

RESULTSElectrophoresis, sequencing and Blast searching indicated that the PCR products of Pg were highly consistent with the luxS gene in GenBank. The sequencing result of Fn was also identified with the target gene. The PCR product of Aa was the same as reference through electrophoresis.

CONCLUSIONSPg, Fn, Aa contain luxS gene. Further studies may be required to investigate the functions of luxS in the periodontal pathogens.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; genetics ; metabolism ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Carbon-Sulfur Lyases ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Quorum Sensing ; genetics ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVETo detect the putative periodontal pathogens in the subgingival plaque of chronic periodontitis (CP) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to discuss the role of the periodontal pathogens in the CP and type 2 DM patients.

METHODSThe study included 154 CP patients with type 2 DM (DM graup), one hundred and twenty subjects with CP (CP group) and 40 healthy subjects. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained with sterile subgingival curettes and pathogens genomic DNA were extracted by phenol and chloroform from plaque. Taking Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Tannerella forsythia (Tf) and Treponema denticola (Td) as aim pathogens, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to determine the prevalence of Pg, Aa, Fn, Pi, Tf and Td in the subgingival plaque samples.

RESULTSPg, Aa, Fn, Pi, Tf and Td were all found in the subgingival plaque of DM group. In serious periodontitis, the detection rate of Pg, Aa and Tf in DM group [Pg: 78% (72/92), Aa: 27% (25/92), Tf: 67% (62/92)] was significantly higher than in the CP group [Pg: 58% (35/60), Aa: 17% (10/60), Tf: 43% (26/60)], P < 0.05. In slight periodontitis, the detection rate of Pi in DM group was significantly lower than in the CP group. At the same time, the average gradation (AVG) ratio of PCR product of Aa and Tf in DM group was significantly higher than in the CP group and the AVG ratio of Pi in DM group was significantly lower than in the CP group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with the pure CP, the quantity of Pg, Aa and Tf in the subgingival plaque of the periodontitis patients with type 2 DM increased, but the Pi quantity reduced.

Adult ; Aged ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; isolation & purification ; Chronic Periodontitis ; complications ; microbiology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; microbiology ; Female ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; isolation & purification ; Gingiva ; microbiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; isolation & purification ; Prevotella intermedia ; isolation & purification ; Treponema denticola ; isolation & purification