Evidence map›Paper›PMID 10024561›Full record

ArticleInfection and immunity1999

Virulence of a spaP mutant of Streptococcus mutans in a gnotobiotic rat model.

P J Crowley, L J Brady, S M Michalek, A S Bleiweis

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Infection and immunity, 1999. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
65citing papers in PubMed
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

65 citing papers in PubMed, 111 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  5. The structure ofInfection and immunity · 2026
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  6. Design of a Novel Peptide-Based Vaccine TargetingInternational journal of dentistry · 2026
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  7. Review
  8. Article
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  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. The Biology ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2019
    Article

5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

P J CrowleyDepartment of Oral Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA.
L J Brady
S M Michalek
A S Bleiweis
University of Florida · USUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham · US

Funding

MEMBRANES OF THE DENTAL PATHOGEN STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANSR01DE008007 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI L. Jeannine Brady, Surabhi Mishra · 1986 to 2026
$8.6M
Genetically Engineered Oral Vaccines &Caries ImmunityR01DE009081 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI MICHALEK, SUZANNE M. · 1990 to 2012
$3.2M
REGULATION OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN THE ORAL CAVITYR01DE008182 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI MICHALEK, SUZANNE M. · 1988 to 2003
$972k
MEMBRANES OF THE DENTAL PATHOGEN STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANSR37DE008007 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI BLEIWEIS, ARNOLD S. · 1988 to 1997
–
NIDCR NIH HHS DE08007NIDCR NIH HHS DE08182NIDCR NIH HHS DE09081NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE008007NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE008182NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE009081
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Streptococcus mutans, the principal etiologic agent of dental caries in humans, possesses a variety of virulence traits that enable it to establish itself in the oral cavity and initiate disease. A 185-kDa cell surface-localized protein known variously as antigen I/II, antigen B, PAc, and P1 has been postulated to be a virulence factor in S. mutans. We showed previously that P1 expression is necessary for in vitro adherence of S. mutans to salivary agglutinin-coated hydroxyapatite as well as for fluid-phase aggregation. Since adherence of the organism is a necessary first step toward colonization of the tooth surface, we sought to determine what effect deletion of the gene for P1, spaP, has on the colonization and subsequent cariogenicity of this organism in vivo. Germ-free Fischer rats fed a diet containing 5% sucrose were infected with either S. mutans NG8 or an NG8-derived spaP mutant strain, PC3370, which had been constructed by allelic exchange mutagenesis. At 1-week intervals for 6 weeks after infection, total organisms recovered from mandibles were enumerated. At week 6, caries lesions also were scored. A significantly lower number of enamel and dentinal carious lesions was observed for the mutant-infected rats, although there was no difference between parent and mutant in the number of organisms recovered from teeth through 6 weeks postinfection. Coinfection of animals with both parent and mutant strains resulted in an increasing predominance of the mutant strain being recovered over time, suggesting that P1 is not a necessary prerequisite for colonization. These data do, however, suggest a role for P1 in the virulence of S. mutans, as reflected by a decrease in the cariogenicity of bacteria lacking this surface protein.

Indexed as

Membrane GlycoproteinsAnimalsBacterial ProteinsGerm-Free LifeMutationRatsRats, Inbred F344Streptococcus mutansVirulenceBacterial ProteinsMembrane GlycoproteinsS-layer proteins

Identifiers

PMID10024561
PMCPMC96447
OpenAlexW2122483628

What OpenQuestion holds

Texttitle and abstract
measurements read1
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.