Transmission of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans & Porphyromonas gingivalis in Periodontal Diseases

Periodontitis is one of the most common bacterial infections in humans. The disease is a consequence of destructive host immune responses to pathogenic bacterial species resulting from the dysbiosis of oral microbiota. Criteria for defining periodontal pathogens have been developed and include association, elimination, host response, virulence factors, animal studies and risk assessment. The bacteria associated with periodontal diseases are predominantly gram-negative anaerobic bacteria and may include A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, B. forsythus, C. rectus, E. nodatum, P. micros, S. intermedius and Treponema sp. The bacterial numbers associated with disease are up to 10(5) times larger than those associated with health. The transmission of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis is discussed in this article.