Inhibition of saliva-induced oral streptococcal aggregation by blood group glycoproteins

Abstract

The inhibition of saliva-induced oral streptococcal aggregation with anti-sera (anti-A, anti-B, anti-AB and anti-B treated with galactose), normal human serum (NHS), blood group-specific lectins (UEA-I, HBA, GPA, BSI-B 4, GS-I), non-specific blood group lectins (MPA, SBA) and carbohydrates (galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine, l-fucose) was studied. Streptococcal species and strains included S. mutans 318, S. mutans 10449, S. mutans NG-8, S. salivarius and S. cricetus HS-6. The saliva was obtained from three subjects with secretor status (2 blood group B persons, 1 blood group A person). The data obtained from experiments performed with S. mutans 10449 and S. mutans NG-8 suggest the involvement of the H-antigenic determinant in the aggregation mechanism of the first strain and of the group B determinant for the second strain. The aggregation of S. salivarius only by B saliva might be related to a galactose-specific lectin on this strain and to some properties of its cell surface (hydrophobicity and the fibrillar surface layer). S. cricetus HS-6 aggregation was inhibited in different degrees by all the inhibitors used. The results demonstrate that interactions between oral streptococci and salivary components depend on the strain and species and on the individual saliva samples.