Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis: Microbial and Immunologic Studies

This is an annual report on an ongoing research project aimed at obtaining new information as to the microbial etiology and immunopathology of acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis ANUG. Thirty one patients have been studied as of the date of this report. Completed patient history forms have showed individuals with the disease display a typical and similar life style. They do not have sound employment, they are not financially stable, they smoke and do not display normal living patterns. Subgingival plaque samples taken from the patients revealed the presence of large numbers of spirochetes and Gram - rods and cultural studies have demonstrated the presence of 8-12 different microorganisms in the lesion with members of the genera Bacteroides and Fusobacterium in the highest numbers. Tests were performed which displayed the characteristic hemagglutination activity of the F. nucleatum and B. gingivalis isolates. Both type I and II colonial variants of F. nucleatum were isolated from the ANUG lesion and serological studies with the F. nucleatum isolates from patients with ANUG, chronic periodontitis, juvenile periodontitis, and adults and children with healthy gingiva suggest that irregardless of which disease they were isolated from the microorganisms share antigenic determinants when reacted with human serum and rabbit antiserum. Studies were undertaken to determine if microorganisms isolated from ANUG lesions have specific binding receptors for corticosteroids.