Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1980 Jan;27(1):25–31. doi: 10.1128/iai.27.1.25-31.1980

Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: revertants of mutant C4.

T Ikeda, S Otake, M Hirasawa, K Williams, H Kiyoyono, J R McGhee, T Shiota
PMCID: PMC550716  PMID: 6766904

Abstract

Mutant C4, a poor plaque-forming mutant of Streptococcus mutans 6715-HSR, was employed to obtain isolates resembling the parent strain (a plaque former). Seventeen presumptive revertants, as identified by colonial morphology, were isolated from mutant C4 after enrichment cycles in a sucrose-glass beads medium. These isolates displayed properties which resembled the parent in ability to produce plaque, patterns of fermentation, and resistance to streptomycin. In a detailed study, five selected isolates were found to be similar to the parent type 6715-HSR with respect to content of the serotype antigen, sucrose- or dextran-induced cell aggregation, glucosyltransferase and adherence activities, and cariogenicity. Thus, in selection for revertants to parental colonial morphology, the pleiotropic changes in plaque formation, adherence, glycosyltransferase activity, and virulence demonstrated by C4 all concomitantly reverted to their parental phenotypes.

Full text

PDF
28

Images in this article

29Fig. 1
on p.29

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bowen W. H. The induction of rampant dental caries in monkeys (Macaca irus). Caries Res. 1969;3(3):227–237. doi: 10.1159/000259597. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Critchley P., Wood J. M., Saxton C. A., Leach S. A. The polymerisation of dietary sugars by dental plaque. Caries Res. 1967;1(2):112–129. doi: 10.1159/000259506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. FITZGERALD R. J., JORDAN H. V., STANLEY H. R. Experimental caries and gingival pathologic changes in the gnotobiotic rat. J Dent Res. 1960 Sep-Oct;39:923–935. doi: 10.1177/00220345600390052701. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. FITZGERALD R. J., KEYES P. H. Demonstration of the etiologic role of streptococci in experimental caries in the hamster. J Am Dent Assoc. 1960 Jul;61:9–19. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.1960.0138. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Freedman M. L., Tanzer J. M. Dissociation of plaque formation from glucan-induced agglutination in mutants of Streptococcus mutans. Infect Immun. 1974 Jul;10(1):189–196. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.1.189-196.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gibbons R. J., Berman K. S., Knoettner P., Kapsimalis B. Dental caries and alveolar bone loss in gnotobiotic rats infected with capsule forming streptococci of human origin. Arch Oral Biol. 1966 Jun;11(6):549–560. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(66)90220-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gibbons R. J., Fitzgerald R. J. Dextran-induced agglutination of Streptococcus mutans, and its potential role in the formation of microbial dental plaques. J Bacteriol. 1969 May;98(2):341–346. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.2.341-346.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gibbons R. J., Nygaard M. Synthesis of insoluble dextran and its significance in the formation of gelatinous deposits by plaque-forming streptococci. Arch Oral Biol. 1968 Oct;13(10):1249–1262. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(68)90081-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gibbons R. J., van Houte J. Dental caries. Annu Rev Med. 1975;26:121–136. doi: 10.1146/annurev.me.26.020175.001005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ikeda T., Shiota T., McGhee J. R., Otake S., Michalek S. M., Ochiai K., Hirasawa M., Sugimoto K. Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: comparison of the effects of a coupling sugar and sucrose on certain metabolic activities and cariogenicity. Infect Immun. 1978 Feb;19(2):477–480. doi: 10.1128/iai.19.2.477-480.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jordan H. V., Keyes P. H. In vitro methods for the study of plaque formation and carious lesions. Arch Oral Biol. 1966 Aug;11(8):793–802. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(66)90005-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Jordan H. V., Krasse B., Möller A. A method of sampling human dental plaque for certain "caries-inducing" streptococci. Arch Oral Biol. 1968 Aug;13(8):919–927. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(68)90007-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. KEYES P. H. Dental caries in the molar teeth of rats. II. A method for diagnosing and scoring several types of lesions simultaneously. J Dent Res. 1958 Nov-Dec;37(6):1088–1099. doi: 10.1177/00220345580370060901. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Krasse B. Human streptococci and experimental caries in hamsters. Arch Oral Biol. 1966 Apr;11(4):429–436. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(66)90107-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kuramitsu H. K. Adherence of Streptococcus mutans to dextran synthesized in the presence of extracellular dextransucrase. Infect Immun. 1974 Apr;9(4):764–765. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.4.764-765.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kuramitsu H. K. Properties of a mutant of Streptococcus mutans altered in glucosyltransferase activity. Infect Immun. 1976 Feb;13(2):345–353. doi: 10.1128/iai.13.2.345-353.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Littleton N. W., Kakehashi S., Fitzgerald R. J. Recovery of specific "caries-inducing" streptococci from carious lesions in the teeth of children. Arch Oral Biol. 1970 May;15(5):461–463. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(70)90073-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Loesche W. J., Rowan J., Straffon L. H., Loos P. J. Association of Streptococcus mutants with human dental decay. Infect Immun. 1975 Jun;11(6):1252–1260. doi: 10.1128/iai.11.6.1252-1260.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Michalek S. M., McGhee J. R., Navia J. M. Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: a sensitive method for evaluating cariogenicity in young gnotobiotic rats. Infect Immun. 1975 Jul;12(1):69–75. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.1.69-75.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Michalek S. M., Shiota T., Ikeda T., Navia J. M., McGhee J. R. Virulence of Streptococcus mutans: biochemical and pathogenic characteristics of mutant isolates. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1975 Nov;150(2):498–502. doi: 10.3181/00379727-150-39064. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. RANTZ L. A., RANDALL E. Use of autoclaved extracts of hemolytic streptococci for serological grouping. Stanford Med Bull. 1955 May;13(2):290–291. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Schachtele C. F., Germaine G. R., Harlander S. K. Production of elevated levels of dextransucrase by a mutant of Streptococcus mutans. Infect Immun. 1975 Oct;12(4):934–937. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.4.934-937.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Schachtele C. F., Staat R. H., Harlander S. K. Dextranases from oral bacteria: inhibition of water-insoluble glucan production and adherence to smooth surfaces by Streptococcus mutans. Infect Immun. 1975 Aug;12(2):309–317. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.2.309-317.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Shklair I. L., Keene H. J. A biochemical scheme for the separation of the five varieties of Streptococcus mutans. Arch Oral Biol. 1974 Nov;19(11):1079–1081. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(74)90099-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Van Houte J., Gibbons R. J., Pulkkinen A. J. Adherence as an ecological determinant for streptococci in the human mouth. Arch Oral Biol. 1971 Oct;16(10):1131–1141. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(71)90042-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. ZINNER D. D., JABLON J. M., ARAN A. P., SASLAW M. S. EXPERIMENTAL CARIES INDUCED IN ANIMALS BY STREPTOCOCCI OF HUMAN ORIGIN. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1965 Mar;118:766–770. doi: 10.3181/00379727-118-29964. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. de Stoppelaar J. D., König K. G., Plasschaert A. J., van der Hoeven J. S. Decreased cariogenicity of a mutant of Streptococcus mutans. Arch Oral Biol. 1971 Aug;16(8):971–975. doi: 10.1016/0003-9969(71)90186-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES