'Good' Bacteria Seen as Potential Cavity Fighters Fri Jun 28, 2002 5:32 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Arming a type of friendly bacteria to do battle with cavity-promoting bacteria could offer a new way to prevent tooth decay, early research suggests. In experiments with cells and rats, scientists found that a type of "good" bacteria called lactobacillus could be genetically modified to produce an antibody that kills off a particular cavity-causing bacterium and helps prevent dental woes. The researchers, led by Lennart Hammarstrom of the Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden, report the findings in the July issue of Nature Biotechnology. Lactobacillus bacteria have long been used in food fermentation and are commonly found in items such as yogurt. Some forms of the bacterium dwell normally in the human intestines. Lactobacillus-laden foods and supplements--commonly referred to as "probiotics"--have grown increasingly popular because they are believed to promote good gastrointestinal health. In addition, lactobacilli have been proposed as "carriers" for oral vaccines, according to Hammarstrom's team. In their study, rats were given lactobacilli armed to produce antibodies against Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium that lives in the human mouth and causes cavities by converting sugar into enamel-eroding lactic acid. The rats were given the good bacteria over 2 weeks, and the researchers found that the friendly bugs were still in the animals' mouths 1 week after the final treatment. Moreover, the treated rats showed a sharp reduction in S. mutans in the mouth and developed far fewer cavities compared with untreated animals, according to the report. The researchers conclude that the effectiveness of the transformed lactobacilli, coupled with their persistence in the rats' oral cavity, suggest a "viable approach" to preventing or treating tooth decay in humans. SOURCE: Nature Biotechnology 2002;20:702-706.

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