Unusual Bacteria Family Linked to Gum Disease
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Stanford University researchers have found that an unusual family of bacteria called archaea, never previously linked to human disease, might be at the root of gum disease. Archaea are genetically and biochemically different from most bacteria, and many species of the organism are found in extreme environments, such as hot springs and salt lakes.
Dr. David Relman and his colleagues found archaea in diseased subgingival cavities -- the gap between the gums and teeth -- but nowhere else in the mouth. The severity of the disease, they reported in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, correlated with the number of archaea present.
