DETECTION OF TET(M) AND TET(O) USING THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION INBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH PERIODONTAL-DISEASE

The polymerase chain reaction was used to examine 114 tetracycline-res istant anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacterial isolates from pat ients with periodontal disease for the tet(M) and tet(O) genes. A 740- base-pair fragment of the tet(M) gene was amplified from 84 of 114 iso lates, and a 519-base-pair fragment of the tet(O) gene was amplified f rom 13 streptococcal isolates. Six of 7 tetracycline-resistant isolate s of Veillonella spp. and tetracycline-resistant isolates of Eubacteri um spp, (n=3), Eubacterium saburreum (n=1), Streptococcus intermedius (n=5) and Gemella morbillorum (n=2) all harbored the tet(M) gene. The tet(M) and tet(O) negative as well as selected positive isolates were tested for the tet(K) and tet(L) genes using DNA probes. All isolates of Staphylococcus spp. (n=11) hybridized with the tet(K) probe. None o f the isolates tested hybridized with the probe for tet(L). This is th e first report of the tet(M) gene in the facultative bacterium G. morb illorum and in E. saburreum.