INHIBITION OF SALIVA-INDUCED ORAL STREPTOCOCCAL AGGREGATION BY BLOOD-GROUP GLYCOPROTEINS

The inhibition of saliva-induced oral streptococcal aggregation with a nti-sera (anti-A, anti-B, anti-AB and anti-B treated with galactose), normal human serum (MIS), blood group-specific lectins (UEA-I, HBA, GP A, BSI-B-4, GS-I), non-specific blood group lectins (MPA, SEA) and car bohydrates (galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine, L-fucose) was studied. S treptococcal species and strains included S. mutans 318, S. mutans 104 49, S. mutans NG-8, S. salivarius and S. cricetus HS-6. The saliva was obtained from three subjects with secretor status (2 blood group B pe rsons, 1 blood group A person). The data obtained from experiments per formed with S. mutans 10449 and S. mutans NG-8 suggest the involvement of the H-antigenic determinant in the aggregation mechanism of the fi rst strain and of the group B determinant for the second strain. The a ggregation of S. salivarius only by B saliva might be related to a gal actose-specific lectin on this strain and to some properties of its ce ll surface (hydrophobicity and the fibrillar surface layer). S. cricet us HS-6 aggregation was inhibited in different degrees by all the inhi bitors used. The results demonstrate that interactions between oral st reptococci and salivary components depend on the strain and species an d on the individual saliva samples.