What is it about?
The mouth in very young mice is different than older mice. The major difference was previously thought to be due to tooth eruption. However, there are other factors that are likely to be more important. For instance, the inflammatory response to exposure to oral bacteria was different in older than young mice. The inflammatory response may be a critical factor in determining which bacteria are acquired. This has been shown for diabetic mice (Xiao et al, Cell Host Microbe, 2017).
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Why is it important?
Factors that regulate acquisition of oral bacteria are not well defined. The inflammatory response to bacteria may be one of the important factors.
Perspectives
The acquisition of oral bacteria is important and has a major impact in later events such a dental caries and periodontal disease. Furthermore the presence of oral bacteria may influence the acquisition of bacteria in the gut. This acquisition has important local and systemic consequences.
Dana Graves
University of Pennsylvania
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Establishment of oral bacterial communities in germ-free mice and the influence of recipient age, Molecular Oral Microbiology, September 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/omi.12194.
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