Levan production by a strain of Rothia: activation of complement resulting in cytotoxicity for human gingival cells.

An extracellular polysaccharide identified as a levan has been isolated from Rothia dentocariosa, strain 477 serotype 2. The levan produced by strain 477 has been found to activate the complement cascade in the absence of specific antibodies. This activation was found to be cytotoxic for human gingival cells in tissue culture.