Young children are researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry willInvestigating its decline, they come across organizations that were just a frightening shade of storybooks tempting children with gnashing alpha teeth.
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. And in this lineup, both races fared better than they did alone, but that was just the beginning.
Working with dental material and saliva placed in a petri dish, the researchers followed the association’s bizarre work live, and a stunning sight 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. They practically moved at the speed of cells that heal injuries to the body and can jump from one tooth to another.
They have a lot of emerging jobs, and this gives the advantages of cooperation that they would not achieve on their own. It’s like a new organism – a superorganism – with new functions
– Hyun Koo, an author of the study published in PNAS, the journal of the American Academy of Sciences.
Superorganisms, with their bonding power, are very effective in completely occupying the oral cavity and causing more caries.
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)
