Detection of a 640-bp deletion in the Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin promoter region in isolates from an adolescent of Ethiopian origin

Rolf Claesson; Jan Gudmundson; Carola Höglund Åberg; Dorte Haubek; Anders Johansson

doi:10.3402/jom.v7.26974

Detection of a 640-bp deletion in the Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin promoter region in isolates from an adolescent of Ethiopian origin

J Oral Microbiol. 2015 Apr 13:7:26974. doi: 10.3402/jom.v7.26974. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Rolf Claesson¹, Jan Gudmundson², Carola Höglund Åberg³, Dorte Haubek⁴, Anders Johansson³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Oral Microbiology, Department of Odontology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; rolf.claesson@odont.umu.se.
² Periodontology Specialist Clinic, Östersunds Hospital, Östersund, Sweden.
³ Division of Molecular Periodontology, Department of Odontology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
⁴ Section for Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Dentistry, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Abstract

The expression of the leukotoxin of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is regulated by the leukotoxin promoter. A 530-bp deletion or an 886-bp insertion sequence (IS) element in this region has earlier been described in highly leukotoxic isolates. Here, we report on highly leukotoxic isolate with a 640-bp deletion, which was detected in an adolescent of Ethiopian origin.

Keywords: Africa; JP2; aggressive periodontitis; deletion; geographic spreading; leukotoxicity.