Detection of immunodominant antigens of periodontopathic bacteria in human periodontal disease.

Sonicated whole cell extracts and outer membrane proteins (OMP) from Bacteroides gingivalis and Veillonella parvula were analysed by the immunoblot technique using sera from 103 patients with various forms of periodontal disease and from 31 control subjects. B. gingivalis sonicate contained 12 major bands (75-14 kDa) of which the 46, 27 and 14 kDa antigens reacted more frequently with sera from adult and young adult patients with severe periodontitis compared with sera from controls and mild periodontitis patients. The OMP of B. gingivalis contained 6 main antigens of 75, 57, 51, 46, 35 and 19 kDa m.w. The 46 kDa antigen reacted predominantly with sera from both groups of patients with severe periodontitis. V. parvula sonicate contained 11 antigens (76-13 kDa) of which the 76 kDa antigen reacted more frequently with sera from controls and patients with mild periodontitis than with sera from patients with severe periodontitis. Conversely, antibodies to the 39 kDa antigen (absent from OMP) were specifically associated with severe periodontitis. Further monitoring of antibody responses to the 46, 27 and 14 kDa antigens of B. gingivalis and 39 kDa antigen of V. parvula may be of importance for the assessment of severity of human periodontal disease.