Isolation of Treponema and Tannerella spp. from equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis related periodontal disease.

The study explores the link between specific bacteria and a form of periodontal disease in horses known as equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH). The research reveals that bacteria typically involved in human gum disease, particularly Treponema and Tannerella species, are found in nearly all cases of EOTRH.

Objective and Hypothesis

• The main objective of the study is to identify whether ‘red complex’ bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia) commonly associated with human periodontal disease, are also linked with EOTRH in horses.
• The researchers hypothesize that these bacteria are associated with EOTRH-related periodontal disease in equines, similar to their role in human gum disease.

Methods

• The research was conducted as a controlled cross-sectional study that involved the collection of fluid samples surrounding the teeth (crevicular fluid) from 23 EOTRH-affected and 21 disease-free horses.
• The team used Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a common technique in Molecular Biology, to screen the purified DNA from these samples for the presence of the above-mentioned bacteria.
• Amplified DNA was then sequenced and identified through BLAST analysis, a bioinformatics tool used to compare primary biological sequence information.

Results

• The genetic material of Treponema and/or Tannerella was found in every sample taken from horses with periodontitis (a severe form of gum disease) and in 52.2% of samples from healthy horses.
• Nearly all the sequences were 98-100% similar to published bacterial sequences, mainly those corresponding to Treponema pectinovorum, oral Treponema clones JU025, OMZ 840, and Tannerella forsythia.
• The DNA of P. gingivalis was only found in 3 EOTRH-related samples.
• They also identified 43 DNA sequences which matched less strongly (80% – 97%) with known Treponema or Tannerella strains. These weaker matches were due to either differences within the bacterial strains or because the sequences appeared to represent previously uncharacterized strains of bacteria.

Conclusion

• This study offers the first report of known and potentially new Treponema and Tannerella species being associated with EOTRH, a form of periodontal disease in horses.
• This suggests that an understanding of these bacterial species, both known and novel, is crucial in managing and potentially treating periodontal disease in horses.