Effect of Growth Conditions on the Antigenic Components of Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacilli

Abstract

The conditions under which bacteria grow are known to have a profound effect on their surface components and also to influence other metabolic activities. This is particularly evident from studies using the chemostat where organisms can be grown under strictly defined conditions and where their generation time can be controlled (1). The oral cavity has been likened to a chemostat and certainly the conditions in the mouth more closely approximate those in the chemostat than those for cells grown in an enriched medium in batch culture (1). Knowledge of the surface components of oral bacteria is particularly pertinent to an understanding of their potential role in dental caries, as such components would be important in the adherence of cells both to each other and to oral tissues. Their immunogenicity is also of importance, both in the identification of plaque bacteria, particularly in situ, and also because of their potential role in caries vaccines.