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Human Cytomegalovirus Enhances A. actinomycetemcomitans Adherence to Cells

¹ Catholic University Leuven, Research Group for Microbial Adhesion, Department of Periodontology, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
² UCLA, School of Dentistry, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA;
³ Catholic University Leuven, Centre for Molecular Diagnostics, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
⁴ University of Vermont, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Stafford Hall, 95 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT, USA; and
⁵ Catholic University Leuven, Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Minderbroedersstraat 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

^* corresponding author, Wim.Teughels{at}med.kuleuven.be

Adherence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans to epithelial cells is an important step in periodontal disease pathogenesis. Recent publications describe the subgingival presence of a wide array of viruses [e.g., human cytomegalo-virus (hCMV)]. Since viruses can increase cellular susceptibility for bacterial adherence, we investigated whether hCMV renders epithelial cells more prone to adherence by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Cultivated HeLa and primary epithelial cells were shown to be semi-permissive for hCMV infection, which resulted in increased bacterial adherence. This increase correlated with viral concentrations, was evident in all Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strains examined, and increased during the first 24 hrs, followed by a slight decrease. Immediate early antigen expression was not correlated with the increased adherence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. The results confirmed our hypothesis that the adherence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is influenced by hCMV in vitro.

KEY WORDS: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans • human cytomegalovirus • adherence • epithelial cells • polymicrobial