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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2006, p. 3678-3684, Vol. 72, No. 5
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.5.3678-3684.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Modeling Shifts in Microbial Populations Associated with Health or Disease

F. Dalwai,* D. A. Spratt, and J. Pratten

Division of Microbial Diseases, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London, United Kingdom

Received 3 October 2005/ Accepted 26 February 2006

Stable microbial communities associated with health can be disrupted by altered environmental conditions. Periodontal diseases are associated with changes in the resident oral microflora. For example, as gingivitis develops, a key change in the microbial composition of dental plaque is the ascendancy of Actinomyces spp. and gram-negative rods at the expense of Streptococcus spp. We describe the use of an in vitro model to replicate this population shift, first with a dual-species model (Actinomyces naeslundii and Streptococcus sobrinus) and then using a microcosm model of dental plaque. The population shift was induced by environmental changes associated with gingivitis, first by the addition of artificial gingival crevicular fluid and then by a switch to a microaerophilic atmosphere. In addition to the observed population shifts, confocal laser scanning microscopy also revealed structural changes and differences in the distribution of viable and nonviable bacteria associated with the change in environmental conditions. This model provides an appropriate system for the further understanding of microbial population shifts associated with gingivitis and for the testing of, for example, antimicrobial agents.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Microbial Diseases, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 256 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 20 7915 1016. Fax: 44 20 7915 1127. E-mail: f.dalwai{at}eastman.ucl.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2006, p. 3678-3684, Vol. 72, No. 5
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.5.3678-3684.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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