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Infect Immun, June 1998, p. 2595-2600, Vol. 66, No. 6
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Mutacin Production by Streptococcus mutans May Promote Transmission of Bacteria from Mother to Child

L. Grönroos,1,* M. Saarela,2 J. Mättö,2 U. Tanner-Salo,3 A. Vuorela,2 and S. Alaluusua1

Department of Pedodontics and Orthodontics1 and Institute of Dentistry,2 University of Helsinki, and Public Health Center, Espoo,3 Finland

Received 31 July 1997/Returned for modification 26 September 1997/Accepted 3 March 1998

The production of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances, mutacins, by mutans streptococci varies among isolates. To find if the degree of mutacin activity of an isolate was related to its transmission between mother and her child, 19 mothers and their 18-month- to 3-year-old children were sampled for their oral mutans streptococci. In addition, the stability of mutacin activity was studied with isolates from the mothers and with isolates from five unrelated 5-year-old children in 5- to 7-year follow-up studies. A total of 145 oral mutans streptococcal isolates were serotyped by immunodiffusion, ribotyped, and mutacin typed by the stab culture technique. Mutacin was produced by 88% of the strains against more than 1 of the 14 indicator strains, representing mutans streptococci, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Streptococcus mutans isolates showed more inhibitory activity than did Streptococcus sobrinus isolates. Identical ribotypes had similar mutacin activity profiles within a subject, initially and in the follow-up studies, in all but two cases. The mothers harbored a total of 37 different mutans streptococcal ribotypes. Six children were negative for mutans streptococci. Transmission was probable in 9 of 20 mother-child pairs on the basis of the presence of identical strains, as determined by ribotyping and bacteriocin (mutacin) typing. S. mutans strains shared between a mother and her child showed a broader spectrum of inhibitory activity than did nontransmitted strains. In conclusion, the mutacin activity of clinical isolates is reasonably stable, and this virulence factor seems to be of clinical importance in early colonization by S. mutans.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pedodontics and Orthodontics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 41, Mannerheimintie 172, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. Phone: 358-9-19127312. Fax: 358-9-19127266. E-mail: Lisa.Gronroos{at}Helsinki.fi.

Infect Immun, June 1998, p. 2595-2600, Vol. 66, No. 6
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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