Phages are unrecognized players in the ecology of the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Porphyromonas gingivalis (hereafter "Pg") is an oral pathogen that has been hypothesized to act as a keystone driver of inflammation and periodontal disease. Although Pg is most readily recovered from individuals with actively progressing periodontal disease, healthy individuals and those with stable non-progressing disease are also colonized by Pg. Insights into the factors shaping the striking strain-level variation in Pg, and its variable associations with disease, are needed to achieve a more mechanistic understanding of periodontal disease and its progression. One of the key forces often shaping strain-level diversity in microbial communities is infection of bacteria by their viral (phage) predators and symbionts. Surprisingly, although Pg has been the subject of st

SUBMITTER: Matrishin CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10367356 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature