Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry, who investigate tooth decay in young children, found organizations that were just a shade more horrifying than storybooks that make fun of children with gnashing elves.
Two types were identified in saliva samples taken from severe caries: A Streptococcus mutans bacteria and Candida albicans mushroom. It turns out that these microbes like to huddle together and even work together. The bacteria attach themselves to the fungal fibers, forming a biofilm. In this lineup, both genres fared better than being solo, but that was just the beginning.
Working with dental material and saliva placed in a petri dish, the researchers followed the action of the strange association live, and a shocking scene unfolded before them. By working together, they were able to achieve more than just the sum of their parts. The Candida albicans Not a moving object, a Streptococcus mutans Even less. On the other hand, the fungi covered with bacteria dragged the same length of the tooth at a speed of 40 microns per hour, jumping up to 100 microns, which is four times the size of a frog’s jump. In practice, they were rapidly moving cells that heal injuries to the body and could jump from one tooth to the next.
They have a lot of emerging jobs that give advantages to cooperation that they would not achieve on their own. It’s like a new organism – a superorganism – with new functions
– Hyun-Koo said, author of the study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Sciences PNAS.
The organism is very effective in occupying the entire oral cavity with the force of attachment and causes more tooth decay.
According to the independent opinion of Knut Drescher, a microbiologist at the University of Basel, this discovery is significant because although such biological connections have been known for a long time, relatively little is known about their capabilities. And a dentist can do things we wouldn’t even dare imagine.
The researchers’ clear conclusion is that preventing association is the best strategy for preventing aggressive childhood caries.
(New AtlasAnd the ScienceAlert)
