The Abundance of Streptococcus mutans Within the Oral Cavity of University Students and Implications for Disease Etiology
Abstract
Microorganisms within the human oral cavity are part of a healthy ecosystem but can also contribute to disease states by increasing the severity of dental caries, the incidence of gingivitis, and the onset of periodontitis. In particular, patients with poor oral health exhibit a significant increase the pathogenic microbe Streptococcus mutans. However, research shows that S. mutans abundance may be related to a SNP within the human genome (an A/G substitution at rs7294985 in the microsomal glutathione-Stransferase 1 (MGST1) gene). Here we address the role of S. mutans abundance and SNP genotype ratios within a healthy student population (n =39) and compare these results to previously published global data. We used extracted human and microbial DNA in a SNP assay and qPCR abundance profile test respectively. In NSU students, an average of 10.4% of the total microbiota belonged to the S. mutans species, with other healthy populations ranging from 2% to 20% and caries impacted populations from 53% to 95.4%. We then examined the MGST1 SNP which had a class genotype ratio of 0.36 and 0.61 and global ratio of 0.37 and 0.63 for the A and G alleles respectively. Most importantly, we did not see a significant difference between S. mutans abundance and the previously reported MGST1 SNP. Despite a small cohort, global genotype data supports these local findings and suggests other health metrics need be utilized outside of S. mutans abundance. Future studies would benefit a healthy vs. caries population model which integrates peoples of diverse ancestral backgrounds.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Andrew Ozga
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-5-2023 12:00 PM
End Date
4-6-2023 4:00 PM
The Abundance of Streptococcus mutans Within the Oral Cavity of University Students and Implications for Disease Etiology
Alvin Sherman Library
Microorganisms within the human oral cavity are part of a healthy ecosystem but can also contribute to disease states by increasing the severity of dental caries, the incidence of gingivitis, and the onset of periodontitis. In particular, patients with poor oral health exhibit a significant increase the pathogenic microbe Streptococcus mutans. However, research shows that S. mutans abundance may be related to a SNP within the human genome (an A/G substitution at rs7294985 in the microsomal glutathione-Stransferase 1 (MGST1) gene). Here we address the role of S. mutans abundance and SNP genotype ratios within a healthy student population (n =39) and compare these results to previously published global data. We used extracted human and microbial DNA in a SNP assay and qPCR abundance profile test respectively. In NSU students, an average of 10.4% of the total microbiota belonged to the S. mutans species, with other healthy populations ranging from 2% to 20% and caries impacted populations from 53% to 95.4%. We then examined the MGST1 SNP which had a class genotype ratio of 0.36 and 0.61 and global ratio of 0.37 and 0.63 for the A and G alleles respectively. Most importantly, we did not see a significant difference between S. mutans abundance and the previously reported MGST1 SNP. Despite a small cohort, global genotype data supports these local findings and suggests other health metrics need be utilized outside of S. mutans abundance. Future studies would benefit a healthy vs. caries population model which integrates peoples of diverse ancestral backgrounds.
