Sc. Holt et al., CELL-ENVELOPE AND CELL-WALL IMMUNIZATION OF MACACA-FASCICULARIS - EFFECT ON THE PROGRESSION OF LIGATURE-INDUCED PERIODONTITIS, Oral microbiology and immunology, 10(6), 1995, pp. 321-333
Citations number
50
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology,Microbiology,"Dentistry,Oral Surgery & Medicine
The nonhuman primate, Macaca fascicularis, was used to study the role
of immunization with selected members of the periodontopathic microbio
ta in the longitudinal progression of ligature-induced periodontitis.
Animals were immunized with cell envelope antigens prepared from Porph
yromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia, and a mixture prepared
from Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter rectus, and Actinomyces vi
scosus. Serum immunoglobulin G-(IgG), IgM and IgA isotype antibodies i
ncreased significantly in all immunization groups and were specific fo
r each of the immunogens. P. gingivalis and P. intermedia immunization
resulted in a stabilization of the proportions of these species throu
ghout most of the experiment. The high P. gingivalis antibody titer re
sulted in low P. gingivalis numbers being recovered. P. gingivalis imm
unization, while lowering recoverable viable P. gingivalis, resulted i
n significantly increased levels of Prevotella la loescheii, Prevotell
a buccae, Bacteroides macacae and Prevotella melaninogenica compared w
ith preligation and preimmunization levels. Actinobacillus actinomycet
emcomitans, Capnocytophaga spp. and Eikenella spp. remained at preliga
tion levels postimmunization. Campylobacter spp. increased significant
ly during the course of the experiment in all groups, whereas the leve
ls of Fusobacterium spp. decreased. Plaque indices and bleeding on pro
bing showed significant increases in all groups following ligation, wi
th the placebo group showing the greatest increase. Pocket depth measu
rements revealed that, whereas the placebo animals showed an approxima
te 5% increase, the P. gingivalis- and P. intermedia-immunized groups
showed nearly a 20% increase in pocket depth. Attachment level measure
ments showed significantly greater attachment loss in the P. gingivali
s- and P. intermedia-immunized groups, and the F. nucleatum + C rectus
+ A. viscosus immunization appeared to prevent significant changes in
pocket depth/ attachment level loss. Radiographic measurement of bone
loss by computer-assisted densitometric image analysis revealed that
the placebo group lost bone throughout the experiment. P. gingivalis-
and P. intermedia-immunized groups showed an exacerbated loss of bone
density and the group immunized with F. nucleatum + C. rectus + A. vis
cosus exhibited significantly lower amounts of bone loss when analyzed
by computer-assisted densitometric image analysis, compared with the
other immunized groups. Although immunization with P. gingivalis and P
. intermedia cell envelope antigens had an effect on their emergence i
n the complex microbiota of the developing periodontal pocket, this im
munization also resulted in greater bone loss than immunization with F
. nucleatum + C. rectus + A. viscosus, suggesting that, whereas select
ed members of the putative periodontopathic microbiota may play a dire
ct role in periodontal tissue destruction, the complexity of the subgi
ngival microbiota dictates that considerable scrutiny is required to s
elect useful immunogens that can elicit functional protection from per
iodontal tissue destruction induced by oral microorganisms that alread
y colonize or infect the host.