Colonization of the human oral cavity by a strain of Streptococcus mutans.

Streptococcus mutans strain JH1001 produces a bacteriocin that can kill virtually all other strains of this micro-organism. The ability of JH1001 to colonize the human oral cavity was tested in a study involving five subjects and three different infection regimens, all of which involved multiple exposures to large numbers of organisms. Two and one-half years after infection, JH1001 was found to have persistently colonized three of the subjects. The indigenous S. mutans in one subject were reduced below the level of detection. Levels of (total) S. mutans and S. sanguis were not affected in persistently colonized subjects. Mutants of indigenous S. mutans resistant to the bacteriocin were not observed. The results indicate the importance of host variability and infection regimen for superinfection by this strain of S. mutans. The efficient replacement of indigenous S. mutans by JH1001 in one subject lends support to the eventual application of replacement therapy to the prevention of dental caries.