Adherence of oral streptococci with fimbriae

Abstract

Strains of Streptococcus salivarius and oralis with fimbriae examined for in vitro plaque formation and for adherence to hydroxyapatite (HA) and epithelial cells. The average adherence of S. salivarius to HA was 9.5×10^5 cells/cube, while the adherences for S. oralis with types A, D and E fimbriae were 1.7×16^6, 4.9×10^5 and 1.0×10^6 cel1s/cube, respectively. Significantly more S. salivarius than S. oralis cells were found adhering to human oral epithelial cells. However, S. salivarius strains which adhered well to HA tended to have low attachment with epithelial cells. No correlation was found between hydrophobicity and the adherence to HA and epithelial cells. S. salivarius had a greater capacity to form in vitro plaque than S. oralis. These results suggest that S. salivarius has a greater involvement in adhesion than S. oralis.