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Journal of Bacteriology, June 2006, p. 4117-4124, Vol. 188, No. 11
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01958-05

Rapid Succession within the Veillonella Population of a Developing Human Oral Biofilm In Situ

Robert J. Palmer Jr., Patricia I. Diaz, and Paul E. Kolenbrander^*

Oral Biofilm Communication Unit, Oral Infection and Immunity Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 30, Room 310, Bethesda, Maryland 20892

Received 21 December 2005/ Accepted 10 March 2006

Streptococci are the primary component of the multispecies oral biofilm known as supragingival dental plaque; they grow by fermentation of sugars to organic acids, e.g., lactic acid. Veillonellae, a ubiquitous component of early plaque, are unable to use sugars; they ferment organic acids, such as lactate, to a mixture of shorter-chain-length acids, CO₂, and hydrogen. Certain veillonellae bind to (coaggregate with) streptococci in vitro. We show that, between 4 and 8 hours into plaque development, the dominant strains of Veillonella change in their phenotypic characteristics (coaggregation and antibody reactivity) as well as in their genotypic characteristics (16S RNA gene sequences as well as strain level fingerprint patterns). This succession is coordinated with the development of mixed-species bacterial colonies. Changes in community structure can occur very rapidly in natural biofilm development, and we suggest that this process may influence evolution within this ecosystem.

Present address: Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

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