Abstract
Streptococcus oralis is a member of the normal human oral microbiota, capable of opportunistic pathogenicity; like related oral streptococci, it exhibits appreciable phenotypic and genetic variation. A multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for S. oralis was developed and the resultant data analysed to examine the population structure of the species. Analysis of 113 isolates, confirmed as belonging to the S. oralis/mitis group by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, characterized the population as highly diverse and undergoing inter- and intra-species recombination with a probable clonal complex structure. ClonalFrame analysis of these S. oralis isolates along with examples of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae grouped the named species into distinct, coherent populations and did not support the clustering of S. pseudopneumoniae with S. mitis as reported previously using distance-based methods. Analysis of the individual loci suggested that this discrepancy was due to the possible hybrid nature of S. pseudopneumoniae. The data are available on the public MLST website (http://pubmlst.org/soralis/).
Highlights
The viridans streptococci form a major component of the oral and pharyngeal microbiota
The development of an multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for S. oralis has demonstrated that the organism has a diverse population undergoing inter- and intra-species recombination, and has further resolved the relationship of this bacterium to related bacteria
It provides a tool for the further analysis of this bacterium, enabling the benefits of portability and comparability combined with data sharing via the web inherent in MLST to be extended to this organism
Summary
The viridans streptococci form a major component of the oral and pharyngeal microbiota. They can be categorized into a number of phylogenetic groupings, one of which, the mitis group, includes the common oral species Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis as well as the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae, S. pseudopneumoniae, S. mitis and S. oralis are closely related phylogenetically; they exhibit .99 % 16S rRNA sequence identity and are difficult to differentiate using conventional biochemical tests (Arbique et al, 2004; Whatmore et al, 2000). To improve the reliability of the identification of these four species, analysis of the nucleotide sequences of single.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
