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Journal of Peking University (Health Sciences) ›› 2026, Vol. 58 ›› Issue (1): 50-59. doi: 10.19723/j.issn.1671-167X.2026.01.007

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Isolation, identification, and metabolic characterization of a Veillonella parvula isolated from supragingival plaque in a patient with rampant caries

Ziyu HE1, Hui ZHANG1, Zhibin CHEN2, Haixia XING1,*(), Jie PAN1,*()   

  1. 1. Department of General Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing 100081, China
    2. Department of Periodontology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2025-10-10 Online:2026-02-18 Published:2025-12-02
  • Contact: Haixia XING, Jie PAN
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51801003)

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Abstract:

Objective: To isolate and cultivate Veillonella parvula (V. parvula) from the supragingival plaque of adult patients intact teeth surfaces with rampant caries, to investigate its growth and metabolic properties, and to preliminarily explore its interaction with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). Methods: V. parvula was isolated from the supragingival plaque of intact teeth surfaces in an adult patient with rampant caries using Veillonella agar medium. Identification was performed based on colony morphology, biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The clinically isolated strain was cultured in brain heart infusion broth (BHI) supplemented with 120 mmol/L lactate in an anaerobic chamber. Its growth curve and lactate metabolism over 24 h were assessed. Co-culture with S. mutans was conducted to measure lactate accumulation and pH value changes in the culture system. Biofilm structure was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the biofilm biomass was compared using crystal violet staining, providing initial insights into their interaction. Results: Through biochemical identification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, one wild type strain of V. parvula was isolated from the supragingival plaque of intact teeth surfaces in an adult patient with rampant caries. When the wild type V. parvula and the reference strain V. parvula were cultured over 24 h, their growth curves and the trends in the residual lactate concentration in the medium differed, with the differences being statistically significant (F=10.431, P < 0.001; F=5.641, P < 0.05). In co-culture with S. mutans, the group with the wild type V. parvula formed a denser bacterial biofilm structure and had a greater biofilm biomass at 12 h compared with the group with the reference strain V. parvula (P < 0.001). At 24 h, the cumulative lactate concentration produced by the co-culture group with the wild type V. parvula reached as high as 65 mmol/L, which was significantly higher than that in the co-culture group with the reference strain V. parvula and the S. mutans mono-culture group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The strain of V. parvula which we isolated from supragingival dental plaque exhibited superior growth, lactate metabolism, and a greater capacity to promote S. mutans biofilm formation than the reference strain, ultimately accelerating the initiation of early carious lesions.

Key words: Dental caries, Rampant caries, Veillonella parvula, Streptococcus mutans, Supragingival plaque

CLC Number: 

  • R781.4

Figure 1

Images of the clinically isolated strain A, colony morphology of the clinically isolated strain in the selective Veillonella agar; B, colony morphology of the clinically isolated strain in the blood agar; C, Gram stain results of the clinically isolated strain (×1 000); D, scanning electron microscope image of the clinically isolated strain (×10 000)."

Figure 2

Phylogenetic tree of the clinically isolated strain Number at notes present bootstrap percentages; Numbers in the front of these strains represent the sequences accesion number in National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank."

Figure 3

Comparison of growth curves and lactate concentration in broth between the wild type strain V. parvula and the reference strian V.parvula A, growth curves of the wild type strain V. parvula and the reference strian V.parvula; B, curve of lactate concentration during an observation period of 24 h. All data are presented as the mean±SD from at least three independent experiments. *P < 0.05, * *P < 0.01, * * *P < 0.001."

Figure 4

Representative scanning electron microscopy images of biofilms A, wild type strain V. parvula; B, reference strian V.parvula; C, S.mutans; D, wild type strain V. parvula+S.mutans; E, reference strian V.parvula+S.mutans. 1, magnification ×1 000; 2, magnification ×10 000."

Figure 5

Representative crystal violet staining images of biofilms under optical microscope (×1 000) A, wild type strain V. parvula; B, reference strian V.parvula; C, S.mutans; D, wild type strain V. parvula+S.mutans; E, reference strian V.parvula+S.mutans. 1, 12 h; 2, 24 h."

Figure 6

Semiquantitative analysis of crystal violet staining The experiments were performed in biological and technical triplicates. All data are presented as the mean±SD from at least three independent experiments. * * *P < 0.001."

Figure 7

Changes in lactate accumulation and pH values in a co-culture group of V. parvula and S. mutans A, lactate concentration of single-and dual-species biofilms; B, pH value of single-and dual-species biofilms. All data are presented as the mean±SD from at least three independent experiments. * *P < 0.01, * * *P < 0.001."

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