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. 2013 Apr;26(2):255–273. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00082-12

Table 1.

Microbiological findings for acute apical abscesses

Study type and authors (reference) No. of abscess cases examined Method Mean no. of species per abscess sample Most prevalent species (%)
Culture (open ended)
    Heimdahl et al. (40) 58 Culture 3.4 Fusobacterium nucleatum (45), “Streptococcus milleri” (31), Parvimonas micra (29), Prevotella ruminicola (29), Prevotella melaninogenica (26)
    Sabiston et al. (44) 58 Culture 3.8 Streptococcus spp. (71), Fusobacterium nucleatum (24), Parvimonas micra (22), Actinomyces spp. (17)
    Williams et al. (45) 10 Culture 4 Fusobacterium nucleatum (60), Bacteroides spp. (60), Parvimonas micra (50)
    Lewis et al. (41) 50 Culture 3.3 Peptostreptococcus spp. (64), Peptococcus spp. (64), Streptococcusmilleri” (50), Prevotella oralis (40)
    Sundqvist et al. (42) 17 Culture 8.5 Fusobacterium nucleatum (71), Lactobacillus spp. (65), Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens (59), Parvimonas micra (53), Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (53), Eggerthella lenta (47)
    Brook et al. (46) 32 Culture 2.4 Alpha-hemolytic streptococci (34), Porphyromonas gingivalis (22), Parvimonas micra (19), Fusobacterium nucleatum (16)
    Kulekçi et al. (47) 13 Culture 5.4 Peptostreptococcus spp. (92), alpha-hemolytic streptococci (69), Prevotella intermedia/nigrescens (69), Fusobacterium nucleatum (38)
    Sakamoto et al. (48) 23 Culture 4.9 Peptostreptococcus spp. (52), Fusobacterium spp. (43), Prevotella oris (39), Streptococcus constellatus (35), Streptococcus intermedius (35)
    de Sousa et al. (49) 30 Culture 3.9 Anaerococcus prevotii (43), Parvimonas micra (30), Gemella morbillorum (30), Fusobacterium necrophorum (23), Streptococcus constellatus (20)
    Khemaleelakul et al. (43) 17 Culture 7.5 Prevotella intermedia (35), Prevotella baroniae (35), Streptococcus constellatus (29), Prevotella buccae (29), Prevotella melaninogenica (29)
Molecular
    Closed ended, several target species
        Siqueira et al. (74) 27 Conventional checkerboard (49 target species) Not applicable Tannerella forsythia (30), Porphyromonas gingivalis (30), Streptococcus constellatus (26), Prevotella intermedia (22), Prevotella nigrescens (22)
        Siqueira and Rôças (90) 42 Reverse-capture checkerboard (81 target species) Not applicable Fusobacterium nucleatum (64), Parvimonas micra (52), Porphyromonas endodontalis (48), Olsenella uli (45), Streptococcus spp. (38), Eikenella corrodens (38), Bacteroidetes clone X083 (36), Prevotella baroniae (36), Treponema denticola (36)
        Siqueira and Rôças (230) 22 Nested PCR (40 target species) Not applicable Treponema denticola (77), Porphyromonas endodontalis (68), Dialister pneumosintes (64), Tannerella forsythia (64), Porphyromonas gingivalis (59), Dialister invisus (53), Filifactor alocis (42), Fusobacterium nucleatum (41), Streptococcus spp. (41)
    Open ended
        Sakamoto et al. (83) 7 T-RFLP; PCR, cloning, and sequencing 13.3 Fusobacterium nucleatum (86), Parvimonas micra (57), Lachnospiracea clone 55A-34 (57), Prevotella intermedia (43), Prevotella baroniae (43), Dialister pneumosintes (43), Eubacterium clone BP1-89 (43), Lachnospiracea clone MCE7_60 (43)
        Flynn et al. (86) 9 PCR, cloning, and sequencing 7.4 Parvimonas micra (78), Dialister pneumosintes (78), Prevotella oris (67), Eubacterium brachy (56), Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. nucleatum (44)
    Open ended, next-generation sequencing
        Santos et al. (91) 9 Pyrosequencing 114 Fusobacterium spp. (89), Parvimonas spp. (78), Dialister spp. (78), Atopobium spp. (78), Eubacterium spp. (67), Porphyromonas spp. (67), Prevotella spp. (67)
        Hsiao et al. (92) 8 Pyrosequencing 77 (genera) Fusobacterium spp. (100), Streptococcus spp. (100), Phocaeicola spp. (100), Prevotella spp. (100), Porphyromonas spp. (100)