A previous observation, using a few representative laboratory strains, that rabbit antisera raised against isolated surface fibrils might be useful in identifying Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii isolates to their correct numerical taxonomy clusters was reexamined with a large culture collection, including clinical isolates from three different laboratories. Strains were first id...

The ability of Actinomyces naeslundii to convert sucrose to extracellular homopolymers of fructose and to catabolize these types of polymers is suspected to be a virulence trait that contributes to the initiation and progression of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Previously, we reported on the isolation and characterization of the gene, ftf, encoding the fructosyltransferase (FTF) of A....

Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 1 and 2 bind to acidic proline-rich proteins (APRPs) and statherin via type 1 fimbriae and to beta-linked galactosamine (GalNAcbeta) structures via type 2 fimbriae. In addition, A. naeslundii displays two types of binding specificity for both APRPs-statherin and GalNAcbeta, while Actinomyces odontolyticus binds to unknown structures. To study the molecular bas...

The intraoral establishment and proportional distribution of suspected periodontal pathogens Actinomyces viscosus and Actinomyces naeslundii were studied using a recently developed differential plating medium, CNAC-20. Saliva and dental plaque samples were collected from 108 subjects ranging in age from infants to young adults; tongue and buccal mucosa samples were collected from only the adult...