Oral microbiome: polymicrobial interactions involving Candida albicans and oral bacteria

The oral cavity is one of numerous niches occupied by a large variety of microbes. In the healthy microbiome these microbes live in close collaboration with both each other and the individual in order to maintain a non-pathogenic homeostasis. When this homeostasis is disturbed the microbiome can turn pathogenic and provoke oral diseases such as caries, gingivitis and periodontitis. Patients suffering from dysregulated immune functions due to for instance cancer, HIV/aids and prescribed immunosuppressive medication are at an increased risk to acquire these oral diseases. In the extreme case of a polymicrobial infection with the polymorphous fungus Candida albicans and the gram positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus this dysregulation often provokes a lethal outcome. However, the specific aspects leading to this polymicrobial lethality are not yet fully understood. Our research is aimed to study the various virulence factors of S. aureus and how they are affected by the presence of C. albicans.

In coorporation with

Academisch Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam (ACTA)