Coaggregation of Streptococcus salivarius with periodontopathogens:: evidence for involvement of fimbriae in the interaction with Prevotella intermedia

Streptococcus salivarius is divided into two serological subgroups that carry either fibrils or fimbriae. Although fimbriae have been observed on up to 50% of S. salivarius strains in the human oral cavity, no function has yet been assigned to them. To determine whether S. salivarius fimbriae have a role in adhesion, we examined the ability of S. salivarius to coaggregate with selected microorganisms involved in periodontal diseases. Our results show that S. salivarius coaggregated with Fusobacterium nueleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia. However, only fimbriated S. salivarius cells were able to coaggregate with P. intermedia, suggesting a specific role for these structures in the interaction. Heat treatment, sensitivity to sugars, amino acids, and EDTA, as well as protease treatment were also used to further characterize coaggregation between S. salivarius and periodontopathogens.