Lactobacillus characterization and effects on oral biofilm composition

Sammanfattning: The human body is home for millions of bacteria. The largest microbial community is located in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract, including the oral cavity with >700 identified taxa. Lactobacillus, which is normal inhabitant of the GI tract, contributes to health by possible biofilm and immune modulation. Breast milk is a claimed source for transmittance of Lactobacillus to infants’ GI tract, but there is limited information if breastfeeding affects lactobacilli in the oral cavity. The objectives of Papers I and II of this dissertation were to compare infant oral microbiota by feeding mode, and to characterize oral lactobacilli including potential probiotic properties of the dominant Lactobacillus species.Two cohorts with a total of 340 healthy 3- to 4-month-old infants were investigated. Saliva and oral mucosal swab samples were collected. Bacteria were characterized by culture-dependent and -independent methods, including 16S rRNA genes sequencing, quantitative PCR, and the Human Microbe Identification Microarray (HOMIM). Inhibition of growth and adhesion were also tested.Multivariate modeling of HOMIM-detected oral bacteria clustered breastfed infants separately from formula-fed infants, and linked breastfed infants to a more health-associated flora. Lactobacilli were essentially detected in breastfed infants only. Lactobacillus gasseri was most prevalent out of six identified Lactobacillus species. Infant isolates of L. gasseri bound to saliva gp340 and MUC7 and adhered to gingival epithelial cells. Infant isolates also inhibited adhesion of Streptococcus mutans to saliva-coated hydroxyapatite, and inhibited growth of S. mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Actinomyces naeslundii, Actinomyces oris, Candida albicans and Fusobacterium nucleatum in a concentration-dependent fashion.Papers III and IV aimed to assess persistence of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri, if persistence is necessary for a regrowth of mutans streptococci (MS), and if L. reuteri intake affects oral microbiota composition.Two well-documented L. reuteri strains (DSM 17938 and PTA 5289) were used in two double-blind, randomized controlled trials. In the first, 62 subjects (test=32, placebo=30) with high counts of MS were exposed to L. reuteri for 6 weeks. Exposure followed full-mouth disinfection with chlorhexidine. In the second study, 44 healthy subjects (test=22, placebo=22) consumed the L. reuteri for 12 weeks. Saliva and biofilm samples were collected before, during and up to 6 months after exposure. Analyses included culture, strain-specific PCR and 454-pyrosequencing targeting the hypervariable region V3-V4 of the 16S rRNA gene.L. reuteri test strains were detected in the mouth of approximately two thirds of test participants during intake. However, their presence decreased gradually when consumption stopped. Subjects with detectable L. reuteri had slower regrowth of MS compared to non-carriers.Pyrosequencing yielded a total of 812,547 high-quality sequencing reads. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria were the major bacterial phyla recovered. Exposure to L. reuteri strains did not affect overall phylotype abundance, but multivariate modeling clustered 12-week-treated test subjects separately from those who received placebo. Exposure to the test strains was strongly associated with presence and increased levels of F. nucleatum and Streptococcus spp.In conclusion, the oral microbiota differed by feeding mode in infants. One third of breastfed infants had lactobacilli in the mouth, while only single formula-fed infant had it. L. gasseri, predominant in infants, displayed probiotic characteristics in vitro. Retention of probiotic L. reuteri was a prerequisite for delay of MS regrowth after disinfection. However, probiotic bacteria may not be beneficial for all, since L. reuteri DSM 17938 and PTA 5289 were retained in only 2 of 3 consumers. Finally, the altered microbiota after 12 weeks consumption of L. reuteri indicates that intake of probiotic bacteria, or at least L reuteri, has an impact on oral ecology. However, this finding needs further investigation.