DETECTION OF EIKENELLA-CORRODENS AND ACTINOBACILLUS-ACTINOMYCETEMCOMITANS BY USE OF THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION (PGR) IN-VITRO AND IN SUBGINGIVAL PLAQUE

The purpose of the present investigation was to identify 2 putative pe riodontal pathogens: Eikenella corrodens and Actinobacillus actinomyce temcomitans by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in vitro and in subging ival plaque. On the basis of published sequences coding for 16S rRNA t wo primer pairs were designed which amplify a 410 bp sequence from E. corrodens DNA and a 547 bp fragment from A. actinomycetemcomitans DNA, respectively. As few as 50 cells could be detected from pure bacteria l cultures. Each of the two primer pairs was found to be specific in t hat it did not give any amplification product neither with cell lysate s from the respective alternative bacterium nor with lysates obtained from other putative periodontal pathogens and other bacteria. The PCR method developed turned out to be a simple, rapid and reliable diagnos tic tool for the detection of the target microorganisms in clinical sa mples.