Nano Biomedicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Phylogenetic Analysis and Subspecies Distribution of Fusobacterium nucleatum Isolated from Interdental Plaque

Hongwei HAO1, Takayuki NAMBU2, Yihao LIANG3,
Joji KATO1, Atsuo SHINKAWA1, Hiroki UCHIDA1,
Ruoyao ZHANG3, Jinguo ZHENG3, Toshinori OKINAGA2,
and Kazuya TAKAHASHI4

1Graduate School of Dentistry (Department of Geriatric Dentistry),
2Department of Microbiology, 3Graduate School of Dentistry (Department of Bacteriology)
and 4Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Osaka Dental University, Osaka, Japan
Nano Biomed 2024; 16(2): 109-115, (Dec 30, Nano Biomedicine)
Synopsis
Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is a bacterium that plays a significant role in oral biofilm formation, and four subspecies have been identified: Fn animalis, (Fna), Fn nucleatum (Fnn), Fn polymorphum (Fnp), and Fn vincentii (Fnv). The present study aimed to isolate Fn strains from interdental plaque samples collected from 40 healthy adults, as a preliminary step in evaluating the differences in biofilm-forming abilities among the subspecies. High-resolution phylogenetic analysis was con-ducted using the 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequences. Among the 80 isolates analyzed, 55 strains were classified as Fn, 35 as Fnp, 14 as Fna, and six as Fnv, whereas no Fnn strains were isolated. In addition, strains belonging to other species of the genera Fusobacterium and Leptotrichia were identified. The findings of this study provide a foundation for understanding the role of each Fn subspecies in biofilm formation. The methods established in this study can serve as valuable tools for future research on Fn and oral microbiota.

Key words: Fusobacterium nucleatum subspecies, isolates, phylogenetic analysis, rpoB gene
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DOI: 10.11344/nano.16.109

Hao H, Nambu T, Lian Y, Kato J, Shinkawa A, Uchida H, Zhang R, Zheng J, Okinaga T, Takahashi K. Phylogenetic analysis and subspecies distribution of Fusobacterium nucleatum isolated from interdental plaque. Nano Biomed 2024; 16(2): 109-115.