Microbial interaction of periodontopathic bacteria and Epstein-Barr virus and their implication of periodontal diseases

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human gamma herpesvirus that infects more than 90% of the world's population. EBV infection causes several human diseases, including infectious mononucleosis, autoimmune disorders, and a number of malignancies. Interestingly, evidence accumulated over the past 10 years supports the role for EBV as a pathogenic agent of periodontal disease because bacterial activities alone do not explain several of its clinical characteristics. Despite this, it remains unclear how EBV is reactivated in the oral cavity and how activated EBV leads to the progression of periodontal diseases. We focused on the microbial interaction between bacteria and viruses in the etiology of infectious disease and found that the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis could induce EBV reactivation via chromatin modification. Our observations provide evidence for a possible microbial interaction between bacteria and EBV that may contribute to the pathogenesis of EBV-related diseases. This review describes the molecular mechanisms involved in the maintenance of EBV latency and its reactivation by periodontopathic bacteria. In addition, we discuss possible mechanisms by which EBV reactivation may facilitate progression of periodontal disease in infected individuals. (C) 2012 Japanese Association for Oral Biology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.