Factors Which Influence the Microbiological Response to Saliva

¹ Dental Section, Oklahoma Medical Research Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Examination of the technique for the microbiological assay of saliva using an oral strain of L. casei as the test micro-organism revealed that if a more valid assay is to be achieved, the centrifugal fractions of saliva should be promptly separated. The separate fractions can then be autoclaved, appropriately diluted, and added aseptically to the sterile basal medium. If it becomes necessary to store the samples before they can be assayed, the separate fractions can be placed in the deep freeze. The data presented illustrate that this particular sequence of steps apparently minimizes the destruction of stimulatory compounds present in the infranatant, as well as precluding the formation of probable artificial metabolites in the supernatant.