Molecular and serological typing of Streptococcus mutans strains isolated from young Galician population: relationship with the oral health status

• Nancy Saltos Rosero ^[1] ; Rafael Seoane Prado ^[1] ; Antonio Aguilera Guirao ^[1] ; Ysabel Santos ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

     Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

     Santiago de Compostela, España

     
• Localización: International microbiology: official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology, ISSN 1139-6709, Vol. 23, Nº. 4, 2020, págs. 589-596
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus mutans and its serotypes in samples from oral cavity of young Galician population and their relationship with the oral health state. The variables generally associated with dental caries, such as salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, eating habits, and lifestyle, were also analysed. No relationship was found between the variables studied and the presence of S. mutans in the oral cavity or the existence of dental caries. Presumptive strains of S. mutans were isolated from saliva samples from 48% of the analysed population. The use of conventional microbiological methods, API 20 Strep system, and species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allowed to substantiate the identity of the strains as S. mutans. Multiplex PCR protocols, developed in this study for the simultaneous detection of S. mutans and serotypes c, e, and f and for detection of S. mutans and serotype k, also confirmed this result and demonstrated that serotype c was predominant in the studied young Galician population (86%). Serotypes e (8%), k (3%), and f (2%) were also detected. Serotype c was detected in carious and caries-free subjects, while the remaining serotypes were only found in subjects with caries.