• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.85-89
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• 2013

Lemierre syndrome is caused by an infection in the oropharyngeal region with subsequent thrombophlebitis in the internal jugular vein. The thrombus from the thrombophlebitis can invade other vital organs, such as liver, lungs, or joints, resulting in secondary infection, which further exacerbates the fatal prognosis of this syndrome. Lemierre syndrome, also called postanginal sepsis or necrobacillosis, was first reported by Dr. Lemierre in 1936. In his report, Lemierre mentioned that out of 20 patients who suffered from this syndrome, only two survived. He also stated that all of the 20 patients complained of infections in the palatine tonsils and developed sepsis and thrombophlebitis in the internal jugular vein. Once called a "forgotten disease," this syndrome showed a very high mortality rate until usage of antibiotics became prevalent. In this case report, the authors present a 71-year-old female patient who suffered from Lemierre syndrome with thrombosis extended to the right sigmoid sinus.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.131-137
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• 1974

It is a well-known fact that an isolation of non-sporeforming anaerobes, considered normal flora in man ordinarily but causes serious infections sometimes, is a dificult procedure because of their great oxygen sensitivity. Among the many techniques employed in clinical laboratories, despite of its high expenses, the GasPak method has been most widely used because of its relative simplicity. On the other hand, the steel wool method has gained a good reputation recently. This technique makes it possible to treat individual plate so that any single specimen can be promptly cultured anaerobically. The procedure is quite simple and the expenses are negligible. In the present study it is to compare these two methods as to their efficiency of anaerobic cultivation using 13 VPI strains of non-sporeforming amaerobic bacteria. Among the 13 species the following 11, Bacteroides fragilis ss. fragilis, B. fragilis ss. thetaiotaomicron, propionibacterium acnes, Eubacterium limosum, E. lentum, peptococcus asaccharolyticus, Pc. prevotii, Pc. magnus, peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Ps. intermedius nad Veillonella parvula, grew well with the steel wool method whose colony numbers reaching 57 to 119% of those with GasPak method. The remaining two species, Fusobacterium nucleatum and F.necrophorum, did not grow well with the steel wool method showing the colony numbers were only 0.4% of those with GasPak method in the case of Fusobacterium nucleatum. In the case of Fusobacterium necrophorum, very few colonies developed even with a heavy inoculation. As to the size of colonies, there were no significant difference between these two methods.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.21.1-21.14
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• 2023

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a gram-negative bacteria associated with diverse infections like appendicitis and colorectal cancer. It mainly attacks the epithelial cells in the oral cavity and throat of the infected individual. It has a single circular genome of 2.7 Mb. Many proteins in F. nucleatum genome are listed as "Uncharacterized." Annotation of these proteins is crucial for obtaining new facts about the pathogen and deciphering the gene regulation, functions, and pathways along with discovery of novel target proteins. In the light of new genomic information, an armoury of bioinformatic tools were used for predicting the physicochemical parameters, domain and motif search, pattern search, and localization of the uncharacterized proteins. The programs such as receiver operating characteristics determine the efficacy of the databases that have been employed for prediction of different parameters at 83.6%. Functions were successfully assigned to 46 uncharacterized proteins which included enzymes, transporter proteins, membrane proteins, binding proteins, etc. Apart from the function prediction, the proteins were also subjected to string analysis to reveal the interacting partners. The annotated proteins were also put through homology-based structure prediction and modeling using Swiss PDB and Phyre2 servers. Two probable virulent factors were also identified which could be investigated further for potential drug-related studies. The assigning of functions to uncharacterized proteins has shown that some of these proteins are important for cell survival inside the host and can act as effective drug targets.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.21.1-21.7
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• 2018

Metritis, the inflammation of the uterus caused by polymicrobial infections, is a prevalent and costly disease to the dairy industry as it decreases milk yield, survival, and the welfare of dairy cows. Although affected cows are treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as ceftiofur, endometrial and ovarian function are not fully recovered, which results in subfertility and infertility. According to culture-dependent studies, uterine pathogens include Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Prevotella melaninogenica. Recent studies using high-throughput sequencing observed very low relative abundance of Escherichia coli, Trueperella pyogenes, and Prevotella melaninogenica in cows with metritis. Herein, we propose that metritis is associated with a dysbiosis of the uterine microbiota, which is characterized by high abundance of Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, and Fusobacterium.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.30.1-30.10
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• 2020

Systemic infections due to Fusobacterium may originate in the tonsillar/internal jugular veins or from the abdomen. We encountered a patient who presented with bacteremia, fulminant septic shock, and extensive soft tissue pyogenic infection due to Fusobacterium necrophorum. In addition, there was widespread metastatic colon cancer with the unique finding of pre-mortem co-localization of F. necrophorum and cancer cells at a site distant from the colon. We reviewed the literature of the association of F. necrophorum and colon cancer, and discuss the evidence of how each of these 2 distinct entities may mutually augment the development or progression of the other.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.782-785
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• 2007

Lemierre syndrome is caused by an acute oropharyngeal infection with secondary septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and frequent metastatic infections. The usual etiologic agent is Fusobacterium necrophorum. Lemierre syndrome was a common disease with a high mortality rate in the pre-antibiotic era. Since the advent of antibiotics and their widespread use for the treatment of pharyngeal infections, there has been a substantial decrease in the incidence of this malady and it has become a "forgotten disease". Prompt diagnosis and antibiotic therapy for lemierre syndrome is essential to avoid morbidity and mortality. We describe here a case of Lemierre syndrome with multiple septic pulmonary emboli.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.725-736
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• 2000

It is becoming increasingly apparent that periodontitis consists of mixture of diseases, most of which respond favorably to traditional mechanical therapy. Among these variants of the disease, some appear to be associated with unusual microbial infections and defective host defenses. Many of these fail to respond to conventional treatment. The recognition that some forms of periodontitis are refractory to standard periodontal therapy has given rise to a new classification of peridontitis. A series of 1692 subgingival microbial samples sent to a diagnostic microbiology laboratory included 738 samples that could be identified as compatible with a clinical diagnosis of refractory or recurrent periodontitis. In descending order of prevalence the associated microbiota included Bacteroides forsythus(85%) ,Fusobacterium species(78%), Spirochetes(67%), Campylobacter rectus(64%), Porphyromonas gingivalis(59%), Peptostreptococcus micros(58%), motile rods(46%), Prevotella intermedia(33%), Eikenella corrodens(13%), Capnocytophaga species(12%) ,and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans(6%). Antibiotic resistance to tetracycline, penicillin G, or metronidazole was particularly noticeable for Fusobacterium species, Capnocytophaga species, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. It was largely absent for Campylobacter rectus. No antibiotic data were obtained for Porphyromonas gingivalis or Bacteroides forsythus, as these species were detected by immunofluorescence. The results indicate that a substantial number of microorganisms associated with refractory periodontitis are variably resistant to commonly-used antibiotics. Diagnostic microbiology must be considered an essential adjunct to the therapist faced with periodontal lesions refractory to conventional treatment.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

Oral bacterial infections substantially affect the development of various periodontal diseases and oral cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the association between Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum ), a major periodontitis (PT)-associated pathogen, and these diseases require extensive research. Previously, our RNA-sequencing analysis identified a few hundred differentially expressed genes in patients with PT and peri-implantitis (PI) than in healthy controls. Thus, in the present study using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells, we aimed to evaluate the effect of F. nucleatum infection on genes that are differentially regulated in patients with PT and PI. Human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines OSC-2O, HSC-4, and HN22 were used. These cells were infected with F. nucleatum at a multiplicity of infection of 100 for 3 hours at 37℃ in 5% CO₂. Gene expression was then measured using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Among 18 genes tested, the expression of CSF3, an inflammation-related cytokine, was increased by F. nucleatum infection. Additionally, F. nucleatum infection increased the phosphorylation of AKT, p38 MAPK, and JNK in OSC-20 cells. Treatment with p38 MAPK (SB202190) and JNK (SP600125) inhibitors reduced the enhanced CSF3 expression induced by F. nucleatum infection. Overall, this study demonstrated that F. nucleatum promotes CSF3 expression in OSCC cells through p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways, suggesting that p38 MAPK and JNK inhibitors may help treat F. nucleatum-related periodontal diseases by suppressing CSF3 expression.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.111-118
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• 2021

Periodontitis and periimplantitis are caused as a result of dental biofilm formation. This biofilm is composed of multiple species of pathogens. Therefore, controlling biofilm formation is critical for disease prevention. To inhibit biofilm formation, sugars can be used to interrupt lectin-involving interactions between bacteria or between bacteria and a host. In this study, we evaluated the effect of D-Arabinose on biofilm formation of putative periodontal pathogens as well as the quorum sensing activity and whole protein profiles of the pathogens. Crystal violet staining, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy revealed that D-Arabinose inhibited biofilm formation of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Tannerella forsythia. D-Arabinose also significantly inhibited the activity of autoinducer 2 of F. nucleatum and the expression of representative bacterial virulence genes. Furthermore, D-Arabinose treatment altered the expression of some bacterial proteins. These results demonstrate that D-Arabinose can be used as an antibiofilm agent for the prevention of periodontal infections.