Abstract
The microbiota of the human oral mucosa consists of a myriad of bacterial species that normally exist in commensal harmony with the host. Porphyromonas gingivalis, an aetiological agent in severe forms of periodontitis (a chronic inflammatory disease), is a prominent component of the oral microbiome and a successful colonizer of the oral epithelium. This Gram-negative anaerobe can also exist within the host epithelium without the existence of overt disease. Gingival epithelial cells, the outer lining of the gingival mucosa, which function as an important part of the innate immune system, are among the first host cells colonized by P. gingivalis. This review describes recent studies implicating the co-existence and intracellular adaptation of the organism in these target host cells. Specifically, recent findings on the putative mechanisms of persistence, intercellular dissemination and opportunism are highlighted. These new findings may also represent an original and valuable model for mechanistic characterization of other successful host-adapted, self-limiting, persistent intracellular bacteria in human epithelial tissues.
Highlights
In the Divina Commedia, Dante describes his fantastic pilgrimage through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise
Our deepening understanding of the conditions of biological equilibrium between this microbe and the epithelium has encouraged some to reevaluate the pathogenic role of P. gingivalis in disease formation and perhaps redeem this organism’s reputation
Central to the latter perspective, this review is intended to enrich our current view of the adaptation and existence of this controversial oral bacterium within the host epithelium
Summary
In the Divina Commedia, Dante describes his fantastic pilgrimage through Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. The organism was shown to possess a formidable array of virulence factors with the capacity to perturb host defence mechanisms and disintegrate structural components of the periodontal tissues This has given a rather vitriolic perception of the microbe, placing it in the lower circles of Inferno. Our deepening understanding of the conditions of biological equilibrium between this microbe and the epithelium has encouraged some to reevaluate the pathogenic role of P. gingivalis in disease formation and perhaps redeem this organism’s reputation. Central to the latter perspective, this review is intended to enrich our current view of the adaptation and existence of this controversial oral bacterium within the host epithelium. Recent findings on the putative mechanisms of persistence, opportunism and dissemination of P. gingivalis within the gingival epithelium will be highlighted
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