| Chapter title |
Methods to Study Antagonistic Activities Among Oral Bacteria
|
|---|---|
| Chapter number | 12 |
| Book title |
Oral Biology
|
| Published in |
Methods in molecular biology, January 2017
|
| DOI | 10.1007/978-1-4939-6685-1_12 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Book ISBNs |
978-1-4939-6683-7, 978-1-4939-6685-1
|
| Authors |
Fengxia Qi, Jens Kreth |
| Editors |
Gregory J. Seymour, Mary P. Cullinan, Nicholas C.K. Heng |
| Abstract |
Most bacteria in nature exist in multispecies communities known as biofilms. In the natural habitat where resources (nutrient, space, etc.) are usually limited, individual species must compete or collaborate with other neighboring species in order to perpetuate in the multispecies community. The human oral cavity is colonized by >700 microbial species known as the indigenous microbiota. This indigenous flora normally maintains an ecological balance through antagonistic as well as mutualistic interspecies interactions. However, environmental perturbation may disrupt this balance, leading to overgrowth of pathogenic species which could in turn initiate diseases such as dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontitis (gum disease). Understanding the mechanisms of diversity maintenance may help developing novel approaches to manage these "polymicrobial diseases." In this chapter, we focus on a well-characterized form of biochemical warfare: bacteriocins produced by Streptococcus mutans, a primary dental caries pathogen, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) produced by several oral commensal streptococci. We will describe detailed methodologies on the competition assay, isolation, purification, and characterization of bacteriocins. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 50% |
| Unknown | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Scientists | 1 | 50% |
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 28 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 18% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 11% |
| Librarian | 2 | 7% |
| Student > Bachelor | 2 | 7% |
| Professor | 1 | 4% |
| Other | 2 | 7% |
| Unknown | 13 | 46% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 6 | 21% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 11% |
| Immunology and Microbiology | 3 | 11% |
| Philosophy | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown | 15 | 54% |