Oral bacteria may trigger endocarditis
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- Published: Tuesday, 12 June 2012 17:53
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Oral bacteria that escape into the bloodstream are able to cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis, according to recent research. If the bacteria Streptococcus gordonii enter into the blood stream through bleeding gums they can start to wreak havoc by masquerading as human proteins. |
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The research led by Howard Jenkinson, Professor of Oral Microbiology and Head of Research at the University of Bristol School of Oral and Dental Sciences, in collaboration with Dr Steve Kerrigan from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has discovered that S. gordonii is able to produce a molecule on its surface that lets it mimic the human protein fibrinogen – a blood-clotting factor.
This activates the platelets, causing them to clump inside blood vessels. These unwanted blood clots encase the bacteria, protecting them from the immune system and from antibiotics that might be used to treat infection. Platelet clumping can lead to growths on the heart valves (endocarditis), or inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart or brain.
Dr Helen Petersen, who presented the research at a recent conference said that better understanding of the relationship between bacteria and platelets could ultimately lead to new treatments for infective endocarditis.
“In the development of infective endocarditis, a crucial step is the bacteria sticking to the heart valve and then activating platelets to form a clot. We are now looking at the mechanism behind this sequence of events in the hope that we can develop new drugs which are needed to prevent blood clots and also infective endocarditis,” she said.
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