The correlation between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer

The study of intestinal and oral microflora and their metabolites playing an important role in intestinal homeostasis, has led to the identification of species closely related to the development of colorectal cancer, intracellular correlations of fungi and bacteria compared to control. The correlation between oral microbiota and intestinal microflora, as well as associated with the mucous membrane of the large intestine, was revealed. It was noted that the use of eu- and probiotics improved the immunological indices and the structure of the intestinal microbiota. Thus, studying the oral and intestinal microbiota and its metabolites may prove to be a simple, accessible and informative method for the early diagnosis of colon cancer. However, most studies indicate only changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the microbiota, hardly revealing its cause-effect relations with the processes of tumor formation in the colon. Therefore, it is necessary to continue studies of this problem.

Diversity of Oral Microbiome of Women From Urban and Rural Areas of Indonesia: A Pilot Study

Objective: The studies on the influence of geographical and socio-economic factors on the oral microbiome remain underrepresented. The Indonesia basic health research (RISKESDAS) 2018, showed an increasing trend in non-communicable diseases compared with the previous report in 2013. The prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and obesity are reported to be higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Interestingly, non-communicable diseases were found to be more prevalent in women than men. This pilot study aimed to examine the oral health and oral microbiome derived from tongue samples of healthy Indonesian women from urban and rural areas.Methods: Twenty women aged 21–47 years old from West Jakarta, residents of DKI Jakarta (n = 10) as representative of the urban area, and residents of Ende, Nangapanda, East Nusa Tenggara (n = 10) as representative of the rural area were recruited for this pilot study. The participants were evaluated by the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) according to the criteria of Greene and Vermillion and divided into three groups. High-throughput DNA sequencing was performed on an Illumina iSeq 100 platform.Results: The principal component analysis displayed a marked difference in the bacterial community profiles between the urban and rural localities. The presence of manifest was associated with increased diversity and an altered oral bacterial community profile in the urban women. Two bacterial taxa were present at significantly higher levels (adjusted p < 0.01) in the urban oral microflora (Genus Prevotella and Leptotricia) could account for this difference irrespective of the individual oral hygiene status. The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis revealed several distinct urban biomarkers. At the species level, Leptotrichia wadei, Prevotella melaninogenica, Prevotella jejuni, and P. histicola, show an excellent discriminatory potential for distinguishing the oral microflora in women between urban and rural areas. Further, using SparCC co-occurrence network analysis, the co-occurrence pattern in the dominant core oral microbiome assembly was observed to be specific to its ecological niche between two populations.Conclusions: This is the first pilot study demonstrating the characterization of the oral microbiome in Indonesian women in urban and rural areas. We found that the oral microbiome in women displays distinct patterns consistent with geographic locality. The specific characterization of the microbiota of Indonesian women is likely linked to geographical specific dietary habits, cultural habits, and socio-economic status or the population studied.

Late-onset Endophthalmitis Caused by Streptococcus Cristatus after Trabeculectomy

Purpose: To report a case of late-onset bleb-associated endophthalmitis caused by streptococcus cristatus (S. cristatus) after trabeculectomy.Case summary: A 59-year-old woman presented with left ocular pain and visual disturbance. She had undergone trabeculectomy of the left eye 2 years ago. At the initial visit, she was only able to count fingers from the left eye. Whitish thin bleb, conjunctival injection, and inflammation were observed in the left anterior chamber, and the fundus could not be visualized. Despite administering topical and systemic antibiotics, the chamber reaction worsened, and hypopyon and inflammatory membrane were noticed the next day. Vitrectomy with phacoemulsification and intravitreal antibiotic injection was performed, and the intravitreal antibiotic injections were repeated over the next two days. Bacterial culture of vitreous fluid showed a growth of S. cristatus 5 days after the surgery, and inflammation improved after 7 days. One month later, she was still only able to count fingers from the left eye, but there were no signs of endophthalmitis.Conclusions: Postoperative endophthalmitis after glaucoma filtering surgeries caused by S. cristatus has not been reported previously from Korea. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Korean case of late-onset bleb-associated endophthalmitis caused by S. cristatus. If gram-positive cocci are grown in samples from the patients with endophthalmitis after trabeculectomy, resident oral microflora such as S. cristatus should be considered as the causative pathogen.

The state of the oral microflora in patients with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) can lead to pathological changes in the maxillofacial region, contributing to the violation of the microbiocenosis of the oral cavity with a predominance of pathogenic microflora.Objective: to study the composition of the oral microflora in patients with SSc. Patients and methods. The composition of the oral microflora was studied in 50 patients with SSc. The control group consisted of 50 subjects without rheumatic diseases. To assess the intensity of dental caries and the level of oral hygiene we used dental indices: the index of caries intensity (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and the hygienic index (OHI-S).Results and discussion. Microbiological examination in patients with SSc revealed pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans > 10-6 CFU in equal percentage of cases (18.9%), which was significantly more frequent than in the control group (p=0.049). In the oral cavity in SSc, there were no representatives of normal microflora (lactobacilli). In patients with SSc, the DMFT index was 17.8±7.1 on average, and OHI-S – 2.3±0.7, which corresponds to a very high level of caries intensity and low indicators of oral hygiene, respectively. When analyzing the microflora of the oral cavity in 90% of cases, a dysbiotic shift of the 3rd degree was stated.Conclusion. It can hypothesized that the qualitative and quantitative composition of the microflora of the oral cavity affects the development and severity of inflammatory and destructive pathology of the periodontal and oral mucosa. It is necessary to develop and implement an adapted personal hygiene regimen, including cleansing of the tongue and administration of local probiotics, which, as part of complex therapy, can improve the results of SSc treatment.

Prevention of complications of iatrogenic transient bacteremia in dental practice

Transient bacteremia that occurs during invasive dental manipulations can lead to the development of severe complications in patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system, immunodeficiencies due to many factors, blood diseases, the presence of endoprostheses, etc. Antimi-crobial prevention of possible infectious-inflammatory complications of bacteremia in dentistry is an important task. The article provides data on the composition of normal oral microflora and its sensitivity to antimicrobial drugs. An algorithm for preventing complications of transient bacteremia in patients with risk factors is proposed.

In vitro evaluation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs against rheumatoid arthritis associated pathogens of the oral microflora

ObjectivesIn the past, the human microbiome has consistently been associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disease activity. Here, we investigate the antimicrobial activity of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) against typical representatives of the oral microflora that have been associated with RA.MethodsDMARDs were screened for antimicrobial activity against bacteria that are associated with the pathogenesis of the disease and/or frequently isolated from the oral microflora of patients with RA. Screening was done by an agar diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobial active substances were then determined by broth dilution.ResultsAurothiomalate and sulfasalazine demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, but with MICs ranging from 18 to >280 µg/mL and 150 to >600 µg/mL, respectively, only at supratherapeutic concentrations. Methotrexate showed antimicrobial activity only against Fusobacterium nucleatum and Viridans streptococci. The corresponding MICs were 3.75 to >30 µg/mL and 0.5–15 µg/mL, respectively, thus at least for streptococci, within the therapeutically achievable range. No other DMARD tested showed antimicrobial activity in the agar diffusion screening assay.ConclusionMethotrexate, sulfasalazine and aurothiomalate showed antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of RA associated pathogens of the oral microflora. While methotrexate showed relevant antimicrobial activity, and to a more limited extent aurothiomalate, sulfasalazine was active only at far supratherapeutic systemic concentrations. Nevertheless, given the highly species-dependent antimicrobial activity and the multiple ways it can affect the human microbiome, our results suggest a link between antimicrobially active antirheumatic drugs and their potential effect in the treatment of RA.

Oral microflora and pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Understanding changes in oral flora during pregnancy, its association to maternal health, and its implications to birth outcomes is essential. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library in May 2020 (updated search in April and June 2021), and conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to assess the followings: (1) oral microflora changes throughout pregnancy, (2) association between oral microorganisms during pregnancy and maternal oral/systemic conditions, and (3) implications of oral microorganisms during pregnancy on birth outcomes. From 3983 records, 78 studies were included for qualitative assessment, and 13 studies were included in meta-analysis. The oral microflora remains relatively stable during pregnancy; however, pregnancy was associated with distinct composition/abundance of oral microorganisms when compared to postpartum/non-pregnant status. Oral microflora during pregnancy appears to be influenced by oral and systemic conditions (e.g. gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia, etc.). Prenatal dental care reduced the carriage of oral pathogens (e.g. Streptococcus mutans). The Porphyromonas gingivalis in subgingival plaque was more abundant in women with preterm birth. Given the results from meta-analyses were inconclusive since limited studies reported outcomes on the same measuring scale, more future studies are needed to elucidate the association between pregnancy oral microbiota and maternal oral/systemic health and birth outcomes.