A novel technique for monitoring the development of bacterial biofilms in human periodontal pockets

A new technique is presented for analyzing subgingival bacterial plaque. Di fferent materials (polytetrafluoroethylene, gold, dentin) kept for several days in periodontal pockets of patients suffering from periodontitis were a nalyzed by electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH ). Those parts of the carriers extending into the deepest zone of the pocke ts were predominantly colonized by spirochetes and Gram-negative bacteria w hereas those segments in contact with a shallower region were colonized by streptococci. Independent of the material used, the bacterial colonization of the carriers appears to be similar. FISH using eubacteria- and species-s pecific oligonucleotides on semi-thin cross-sections of the carriers in com bination with confocal laser scanning microscopy allowed detailed analysis of the architecture of biofilms and identification of putative periodontal pathogens with single cell resolution. (C) 2000 Federation of European Micr obiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.