ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze horizontal transmission patterns of Streptococcus mutans among caries-active preschool children for early interventions of dental caries.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Plaque samples obtained from 20 caries-active preschool children between 4 and 5 years of age were cultured under anaerobic conditions for isolating S. mutans, which were identified by morphological and biochemical analyses and PCR using primers homologous to the surface protein glucosyltransferase B (gtfB). The genotypes of the isolated S. mutans strains were determined by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 200 S. mutans isolates obtained, 19 were excluded by biochemical analysis, and the remaining 181 isolates were identified as S. mutans by PCR with primers of gtfB, showing 37 different genotypes as identified by AP-PCR. Six children were found to carry S. mutans of a single genotype, 11 carried 2 genotypes, 2 had 3 genotypes, and 1 had 4 genotypes; 2 children from different classes were found to carry S. mutans of the same single genotype.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>We identified 37 genotypes of S. mutans in these caries-active preschool children, among whom horizontal transmissions of the strains were not found.</p>
Subject(s)
Child, Preschool , Humans , Dental Caries , Microbiology , Dental Plaque , Genotype , Glucosyltransferases , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Streptococcal Infections , Streptococcus mutans , ClassificationABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To select and identify ssDNA aptamers specific to Streptococcus mutans strains with different cariogenicity isolated from clinical specimens.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Subtractive SELEX technology targeting the whole intact cells was used to screen for ssDNA aptamers specific to the clinical isolates Streptococcus mutans strains with different cariogenicity. Radioactive isotope, flow cytometry, gene cloning and sequencing, MEME online software and RNA structure analysis software were employed to analyze the first and secondary structures of the aptamers and identify the screened aptamers.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Detection by radioactive isotope showed sufficient pool enrichment after 9 rounds of subtractive SELEX. Flow cytometry showed that the selected aptamers H1, H16, H4, L1, L10 and H19 were capable of binding specifically with highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains but not with strains with a low cariogenicity. The aptamer H19 had the strongest binding capacity to highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains, with a dissociation constant of 69.45∓38.53 nmol/L.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>We have obtained the ssDNA aptamers specific to the clinical isolates of highly cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strains.</p>