Coaggregation of black-pigmented Bacteroides species with other oral bacteria

Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, P.M.B. 12003, Lagos, Nigeria Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Blalock 1111, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA * Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to Professor V. O. Rotimi. Received May 10, 1988 Accepted May 24, 1988 Coaggregation of Bacteroides gingivalis and other black-pigmented bacteroides with several oral bacteria was studied with "reagent" strains specially prepared by methods that have been described previously. B. gingivalis coaggregated with Veillonella, Capnocytophaga and Actinomyces spp., but not with any Streptococcus spp. Coaggregation of B. gingivalis with other bacteria was inhibited and reversed by lactose. Of the asaccharolytic black-pigmented bacteroides, only B. gingivalis demonstrated any coaggregation with other bacteria, whereas within the saccharolytic species, B. loescheii showed a marked ability to coaggregate with several species of oral bacteria. This property of coaggregation by B. gingivalis may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of periodontal infections.