PRODUCTION OF HYALURONIDASE AND BETA-GLUCURONIDASE BY VIRIDANS STREPTOCOCCI ISOLATED FROM GINGIVAL CREVICES

¹ Department of Bacteriology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N. Y.

Strains of Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus salivarius isolated from the gingival crevices of 31 adults, selected only for the presence or absence of clinically manifest marginal gingivitis, were tested for the production of hyaluronidase and beta-glucuronidase. These enzymes are believed on the basis of previous work to contribute to the development of marginal gingivitis. Both the proportion of subjects yielding one or more positive strains and the over-all proportion of strains producing these enzymes were significantly higher in the group having gingivitis. The hyaluronidase was extracellular, whereas the beta-glucuronidase was endocellular. Neither enzyme was formed adaptively, and positive mutants did not arise spontaneously from negative strains. These observations indicate the participation in gingivitis of a more specific group of bacteria than has been generally recognized.