Detection of the Amoeba Entamoeba Gingivalis in Periodontal Pockets

Overview

Journal Parasite

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2014 Jul 2

PMID 24983705

Citations 28

Authors

Mark Bonner

Veronique Amard

Charlotte Bar-Pinatel

Frederic Charpentier

Jean-Michel Chatard

Yvan Desmuyck

Serge Ihler

Jean-Pierre Rochet

Veronique Roux de La Tribouille

Luc Saladin

Marion Verdy

Nuria Girones

Manuel Fresno

Julien Santi-Rocca

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Periodontitis is a public health issue, being one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. However, the aetiology of the disease is still unclear: genetics of patients cannot explain the dispersed or isolated localisation of gingival pockets, while bacteria-based models are insufficient to distinguish gingivitis and periodontitis. The possible role of parasites in the establishment of periodontitis has been poorly studied until now. The aim of this project was to study a potential link between colonisation of gingival crevices by the amoeba Entamoeba gingivalis and periodontitis. In eight different dental clinics in France, samples were taken in periodontal pockets (72) or healthy sites (33), and submitted to microscopic observation and molecular identification by PCR with a new set of primers designed to specifically detect E. gingivalis. This blind sample analysis showed the strong sensitivity of PCR compared with clinical diagnosis (58/72 = 81%), and microscopy (51/65 = 78%). The results of this work show that the parasites detected by microscopy mainly - if not exclusively - belong to the species E. gingivalis and that the presence of the parasite is correlated with periodontitis.

Citing Articles

Evaluation of periodontitis parameters and plaque examination by microscopy: a report on 20 patients.

Bonner M Front Dent Med. 2025; 5:1451698.

PMID: 39917665 PMC: 11797751. DOI: 10.3389/fdmed.2024.1451698.

Impact of Periodontitis and Oral Dysbiosis Metabolites in the Modulation of Accelerating Ageing and Human Senescence.

Amato M, Polizzi A, Viglianisi G, Leonforte F, Mascitti M, Isola G Metabolites. 2025; 15(1).

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Prevalence, socio-economic, and associated risk factors of oral cavity parasites in children with intellectual disability from Lorestan province, Iran.

Selahbarzin B, Mahmoudvand H, Khalaf A, Kooshki F, Farhadi F, Baharvand P Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024; 14:1398446.

PMID: 38966250 PMC: 11222313. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1398446.

Association of with Periodontal Disease-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Vlasa A, Bud A, Lazar L, Lazar A, Herbert A, Bud E Medicina (Kaunas). 2024; 60(5.

PMID: 38792919 PMC: 11123156. DOI: 10.3390/medicina60050736.

Molecular Epidemiology and Associated Risk Factors of Parasites in Oral Cavity of Children with Malignancies in Western Iran.

Kooshki F, Khalaf A, Mahmoudvand H, Baharvand P, Gandomi Rouzbahani F, Selahbarzin B Iran J Parasitol. 2023; 18(3):324-330.

PMID: 37886250 PMC: 10597887. DOI: 10.18502/ijpa.v18i3.13755.

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