Streptococcus mutans- Tooth Decay
Etiology/Bacteriology
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Bacteria | Phylum: Firmicutes | Class: Bacilli | Order: Lactobacillales | Family: Streptococcaceae | Genus: Streptococcus | Species: S. mutans
Description
Streptococcus mutans is a gram-positive coccus shaped bacterium. These facultative anaerobes are commonly found in the human oral cavity and is a significant contributor to tooth decay. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptococcus_mutans) These specific anaerobes are mesophilic and grow at temperatures between 18-40 degrees Celsius. Streptococcus mutans reside in an acidic environment, which converts to lactic acid. The result of the conversion disintegrates the coating of the tooth then later dissolves the Calcium molecule creating a hole. (http://www.whatarebacteria.com/streptococcus-mutans/)
Pathogenesis
Transmission
Dental caries is an infectious and communicable dental disease that effects all age groups. The transmission route of Streptococcus mutans is to colonize itself among human hosts. S. mutans favors hard non shedding surfaces to establish permanent colonies, which implies that levels of S. mutans are undetected in infants until the primary teeth extravasate. Although, recent studies have shown that S. mutans is able to colonize the furrows of the tongue in pre-denate infants. Typically between the ages of one and two, teeth erupt, which allows S. mutans to establish flourishing colonies on teeth, which lead to cavities. The indication of cavity formation is the appearance of detectable levels of bacteria on teeth. When S. mutans is detected in the furrows of the tongue it is concluded that the vertical transmission route for the bacteria from mother to child arises shortly after birth. To prove this, saliva samples of two to five year old children were taken, which revealed a high fidelity in genetic make-up of each host's S. mutans population. These experiments also concluded that plasmid DNA correlates to different rates, which also implys primary vertical transmission. Mothers with large amounts of bacteria or those who have suffered from many dental caries themselves are likely to transmit the same virulence factors to their children. When the mothers salivary S. mutans levels exceed 105 Colony Forming Units are nine times more likely to pass bacteria on to their children. (http://www.jyi.org/issue/the-role-of-streptococcus-mutans-and-oral-ecology-in-the-formation-of-dental-caries/)
Clinical features
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Host Immune Response
References
References
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