PREVALENCE OF 6 PUTATIVE PERIODONTAL PATHOGENS IN SUBGINGIVAL PLAQUE SAMPLES FROM ROMANIAN ADULT PERIODONTITIS PATIENTS

The aim of the present study was to determine by standard cultivation procedures the detection frequencies of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prev otella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Actinobacillus actinomycet emcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, and Capnocytophaga species as well as various enteric rods in subgingival plaque samples form Romanian ad ult periodontitis patients. DNA probe analysis (Affirm(TM) DP Microbia l Identification Test) was also used, parallel to cultivation, to iden tify P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and B. forsythus, in dee p (greater than or equal to 6 mm) and intermediate (4-5 mm) pockets in some of the subjects investigated. Paper points were used to sample 8 6 deep pockets in 36 patients and 27 intermediate pockets in 9 of the 36 patients. The chi(2) test was used to test for significance of diff erences between results obtained by cultivation and DNA analysis in bo th intermediate and deep pockets. P. gingivalis was recovered in a hig h percentage of the patients (75.8%) and sites (63.6%) examined, follo wed by P. intermedia, F. nucleatum, and A. actinomycetemcomitans, resp ectively. Capnocytophaga species were present in almost all subjects. Enteric rods were recovered in 61.1% of the patients and 55.8% of the sites. Except for this high prevalence of enteric rods, the present gr oup of patients had the periodontal species monitored in %s similar to those commonly perceived in the West. The Affirm(TM) DP Test and cult ivation showed poor correlation in detecting P. gingivalis, A. actinom ycetemcomitans, and B. forsythus. The cultivation prevalence of P. gin givalis and P. intermedia in deer pockets was similar to their prevale nce in intermediate ones. Overall, the prevalence of the periodontal p athogens investigated in the present Romanian periodontitis patients i s similar to what has been revealed in matching Norwegian and other We stern periodontitis patient populations. The high prevalence of enteri c rods in the Romanian patients may have been an artifact resulting fr om prolonged transport of the samples in VMGA III.