The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 38, Issue 6 406-410, Copyright © 1993 by Society for General Microbiology
Prevalence of Treponema denticola and Porphyromonas gingivalis in plaque from periodontally-healthy and periodontally-diseased sites
M. Wilson, D. Lopatin, G. Osborne and J. B. Kieser
Microbiology Laboratory, University of London.
Intracrevicular plaque from periodontally-healthy individuals who had
refrained from oral hygiene measures for 24 h prior to sampling, and
subgingival plaque from diseased sites of patients with chronic
periodontitis were screened by ELISA for the presence of Porphyromonas
gingivalis and Treponema denticola. The samples were also subjected to the
PerioScan test to detect the presence of enzymes capable of degrading
N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide (BANA). Of the 141 samples from
periodontally-healthy sites, 73% contained T. denticola antigens and 78% P.
gingivalis antigens, compared to 43% and 59%, respectively, in plaque
samples from the 159 diseased sites. A positive reaction in the PerioScan
test was obtained in 89% of plaque samples from diseased sites and in 60%
of those from healthy sites. The correlation between the results of the two
assays was poor in the case of intracrevicular plaque from healthy sites.
However, with plaque samples from diseased sites, the results of the
PerioScan test showed very strong correlation with those obtained with the
ELISA, suggesting that the former may be a useful, rapid means of
indicating the presence of T. denticola and P. gingivalis in such plaque
samples.
