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Dissemination of oral bacteria after polymicrobial oral infection in TLR4-/- mice.

University of Florida Dental School; Department of Periodontology  

PI: Lashymyya Kesavalu and Syam Jeepipalli

Affiliated time: January 2023- Present

Research Focus 

Periodontitis (PD) is a chronic immune-inflammatory polymicrobial dysbiotic disease caused by several microbes including bacteria, viruses, and fungi interacting in the host subgingival sulcus. are major common co-colonizers of the subgingival sulcus in man and are considered leading opportunistic bacteria. S. gordonii (Sg), an early bacterial colonizer of dental plaque, co-aggregates with many oral species including F. nucleatum (intermediate bacterial colonizer) and late bacterial colonizer P. gingivalis. Our hypothesis is that sequential polybacterial infection with Sg+Fn+Pg/Td/Tf collectively has a synergistic pathogenicity. S. gordonii, F. nucleatum coaggregates with late colonizers P. gingivalis/T. denticola/T. forsythia. Several reports have shown that PD strongly play a role in the etiology of several systemic inflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD), and diabetes mellitus (DM). To induce these diseases, the oral bacteria from gingival tissue must have gained access to the systemic circulation to infect the target organs. Detecting bacterial genomic DNA in systemic tissue can prove pathogenic dissemination in bodily circulation to internal organs.
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Project Responsibilities 

My responsibilities for this project include conducting DNA isolation from collected mice organ samples, followed by performing PCR to test for specific bacteria. After PCR amplification, I carry out DNA gel electrophoresis and subsequently interpret the results to ensure accurate analysis and conclusions."
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Example of final results collected and intreperted 

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