Biology of Oral Streptococci

Abstract

Bacteria belonging to the genus Streptococcus are the first inhabitants of the oral cavity, which can be acquired right after birth and thus play an important role in the assembly of the oral microbiota. In this article, we discuss the different oral environments inhabited by streptococci and the species that occupy each niche. Special attention is given to the taxonomy of Streptococcus, because this genus is now divided into eight distinct groups, and oral species are found in six of them. Oral streptococci produce an arsenal of adhesive molecules that allow them to efficiently colonize different tissues in the mouth. Also, they have a remarkable ability to metabolize carbohydrates via fermentation, thereby generating acids as byproducts. Excessive acidification of the oral environment by aciduric species such as Streptococcus mutans is directly associated with the development of dental caries. However, less acid-tolerant species such as Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus gordonii produce large amounts of alkali, displaying an important role in the acid-base physiology of the oral cavity. Another important characteristic of certain oral streptococci is their ability to generate hydrogen peroxide that can inhibit the growth of S. mutans. Thus, oral streptococci can also be beneficial to the host by producing molecules that are inhibitory to pathogenic species. Lastly, commensal and pathogenic streptococci residing in the oral cavity can eventually gain access to the bloodstream and cause systemic infections such as infective endocarditis.

FIGURE 1

Phylogeny of the indicated streptococcal species derived from a core set of 136 concatenated genes. Numbers on branches show bootstrap support for each relationship. The color shading indicates the eight major groups.

FIGURE 2

Simplified schematic of homolactic fermentation and heterolactic fermentation. While homolactic fermentation generates almost exclusively lactate, heterolactic fermentation generates formate, acetoin, ethanol, and reduced amounts of lactate.

FIGURE 3

Simplified schematic of the phosphoenolpyruvate sugar:phosphotransferase system. EI, enzyme I; EII, enzyme II P, phosphate; PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate.