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Infection and Immunity, October 1998, p. 4729-4732, Vol. 66, No. 10
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Role of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Coaggregation in Anaerobe Survival in Planktonic and Biofilm Oral Microbial Communities during Aeration

David J. Bradshaw,1,* Philip D. Marsh,1 G. Keith Watson,2 and Clive Allison2

Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research, Salisbury SP4 0JG,1 and Unilever Research, Port Sunlight Laboratory, Bebington, Wirral L63 3JW,2 United Kingdom

Received 25 March 1998/Returned for modification 11 June 1998/Accepted 13 July 1998

Coaggregation is a well-characterized phenomenon by which specific pairs of oral bacteria interact physically. The aim of this study was to examine the patterns of coaggregation between obligately anaerobic and oxygen-tolerant species that coexist in a model oral microbial community. Obligate anaerobes other than Fusobacterium nucleatum coaggregated only poorly with oxygen-tolerant species. In contrast, F. nucleatum was able to coaggregate not only with both oxygen-tolerant and other obligately anaerobic species but also with otherwise-noncoaggregating obligate anaerobe-oxygen-tolerant species pairs. The effects of the presence or absence of F. nucleatum on anaerobe survival in both the biofilm and planktonic phases of a complex community of oral bacteria grown in an aerated (gas phase, 200 ml of 5% CO2 in air · min-1) chemostat system were then investigated. In the presence of F. nucleatum, anaerobes persisted in high numbers (>107 · ml-1 in the planktonic phase and >107 · cm-2 in 4-day biofilms). In an equivalent culture in the absence of F. nucleatum, the numbers of black-pigmented anaerobes (Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella nigrescens) were significantly reduced (P <=  0.001) in both the planktonic phase and in 4-day biofilms, while the numbers of facultatively anaerobic bacteria increased in these communities. Coaggregation-mediated interactions between F. nucleatum and other species facilitated the survival of obligate anaerobes in aerated environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Research Division, CAMR, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom. Phone: (44) 1980 612732. Fax: (44) 1980 612731. E-mail: david.bradshaw{at}camr.org.uk.

Infection and Immunity, October 1998, p. 4729-4732, Vol. 66, No. 10
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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