ArticleNature communications2023
Selenomonas sputigena acts as a pathobiont mediating spatial structure and biofilm virulence in early childhood caries.
Article in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of the oral microbiota as screening test to identify children at risk for caries development. A systematic review of longitudinal studies.European journal of oral sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Genomic and phenotypic insights into the novel speciesMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Immune fitness and biomarkers of immune function: Relationships with the oral and gut microbiome composition.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Oral microbiota associated with radiation-related caries among nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients following radiation therapy: analysis based on a longitudinal study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- The Outcome of Intracellular Selenomonas sputigena and its Impact on Gingival Keratinocytes.Molecular oral microbiology · 2026Article
- Interindividual differences in acidogenic potential of the salivary microbiome after mouthwash exposure.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Ethnicity-specific microbiome in early childhood caries: a functional perspective of oral biofilm.mSystems · 2026Article
- Microbial Interactions Shape Spatial Organisation and Transcriptional Responses in a Model Mixed-Species Biofilm.Microbial ecology · 2026Article
- A generalizable cross-continent prediction of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma using the oral microbiome.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- IntratumoralScience advances · 2026Article
- Role of wind in alteration of hilltop airborne bacterial communities enriched with pathogens over the Eastern Himalayas in India.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2026Article
- Shotgun metagenomic profiling reveals ecological and functional alterations of the oral microbiome in craniosynostosis.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- Mechanisms of caries induced by sugars: a narratives review from microbial metabolism to oral ecological imbalance and public health strategies for caries prevention.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
- Buprenorphine enhancesJournal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- AdcBC-dependent zinc uptake influences physiological responses inJournal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- Interrogation of imaging-based interspecies dynamics in the oral microbiome.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Review
- Investigating oral microbiome profiles of children with cleft lip and palate in different states of caries.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- CRISPR spacer profiling and prophage mining reveal diverse bacteriophages associated withJournal of oral microbiology · 2026Article
- Draft genome sequence ofMicrobiology resource announcements · 2025Article
- Integrated salivary microbiome and metabolome profiling reveals ecological and functional alterations in severe early childhood caries.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Streptococcus mutans has been implicated as the primary pathogen in childhood caries (tooth decay). While the role of polymicrobial communities is appreciated, it remains unclear whether other microorganisms are active contributors or interact with pathogens. Here, we integrate multi-omics of supragingival biofilm (dental plaque) from 416 preschool-age children (208 males and 208 females) in a discovery-validation pipeline to identify disease-relevant inter-species interactions. Sixteen taxa associate with childhood caries in metagenomics-metatranscriptomics analyses. Using multiscale/computational imaging and virulence assays, we examine biofilm formation dynamics, spatial arrangement, and metabolic activity of Selenomonas sputigena, Prevotella salivae and Leptotrichia wadei, either individually or with S. mutans. We show that S. sputigena, a flagellated anaerobe with previously unknown role in supragingival biofilm, becomes trapped in streptococcal exoglucans, loses motility but actively proliferates to build a honeycomb-like multicellular-superstructure encapsulating S. mutans, enhancing acidogenesis. Rodent model experiments reveal an unrecognized ability of S. sputigena to colonize supragingival tooth surfaces. While incapable of causing caries on its own, when co-infected with S. mutans, S. sputigena causes extensive tooth enamel lesions and exacerbates disease severity in vivo. In summary, we discover a pathobiont cooperating with a known pathogen to build a unique spatial structure and heighten biofilm virulence in a prevalent human disease.
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