Microbial Identification Microarray Identifies 300 Oral Bacterial Species

Molecular analyses based on 16S rRNA sequencing allow the simultaneous detection of about 300 of the most prevalent oral bacterial species, in a single hybridization. The high throughput technology used allows the evaluation of species that cannot yet be grown in vitro.

The Forsyth Institute (Boston, MA, USA) microbial identification microarray service (MIM) enables rapid identification of bacterial species in clinical samples. The first offering, human oral microbe identification microarray (HOMIM), will focus on detection of bacterial profiles from the oral cavity. Scientists can use this service to compare bacterial associations in health vs. disease, monitor the effects of therapy on the oral ecology, and perform microbial perturbation studies.

Hundreds of different species of bacteria are able to live in the human mouth, although these are not usually present in the same mouth at the same time. Many of the oral bacteria have not been identified because they are impossible to grow in culture in the laboratory. Using molecular techniques, the Forsyth laboratories developed new tools, which do not depend on traditional culturing approaches, to hunt for oral microorganisms. Because the causative agents of oral diseases are not fully known, it is probable that many of the novel bacterial species identified by these new methods play important roles in disease.

The oral cavity also encompasses many surfaces, including teeth, the tongue, palate, and the oral mucosa, each coated with a plethora of bacteria. Using HOMIM, the Forsyth scientists have shown that different consortia of bacteria preferentially attach to different oral surfaces.

Philip Stashenko, president and CEO of The Forsyth Institute said, "The expertise of the Forsyth team is unparalleled and it can provide the scientific community with a unique opportunity to carry out global analyses of oral microbial ecology. In the future, we plan to introduce other microarrays which focus on bacteria in different body niches including the GI tract, stomach and skin.”


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