The oral microbiome of patients with axial spondyloarthritis compared to healthy individuals

Jordan E Bisanz; Praema Suppiah; W Murray Thomson; Trudy Milne; Nigel Yeoh; Anita Nolan; Grace Ettinger; Gregor Reid; Gregory B Gloor; Jeremy P Burton; Mary P Cullinan; Simon M Stebbings

doi:10.7717/peerj.2095

The oral microbiome of patients with axial spondyloarthritis compared to healthy individuals

PeerJ. 2016 Jun 9:4:e2095. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2095. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotic Research, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.
² School of Dentistry, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand.
³ School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
⁴ Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand.
⁵ Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Oral Health, AUT, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁶ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotic Research, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
⁷ Canadian Centre for Human Microbiome and Probiotic Research, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Background. A loss of mucosal tolerance to the resident microbiome has been postulated in the aetiopathogenesis of spondyloarthritis, thus the purpose of these studies was to investigate microbial communities that colonise the oral cavity of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) and to compare these with microbial profiles of a matched healthy population. Methods. Thirty-nine participants, 17 patients with AxSpA and 22 age and gender-matched disease-free controls were recruited to the study. For patients with AxSpA, disease activity was assessed using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). All participants underwent a detailed dental examination to assess oral health, including the presence of periodontal disease assessed using probing pocket depth (PPD). Plaque samples were obtained and their bacterial populations were profiled using Ion Torrent sequencing of the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Results.Patients with AxSpA had active disease (BASDAI 4.1 ± 2.1 [mean ± SD]), and a significantly greater prevalence of periodontitis (PPD ≥ 4 mm at ≥4 sites) than controls. Bacterial communities did not differ between the two groups with multiple metrics of α and β diversity considered. Analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and higher levels of taxonomic assignment did not provide strong evidence of any single taxa associated with AxSpA in the subgingival plaque. Discussion. Although 16S rRNA gene sequencing did not identify specific bacterial profiles associated with AxSpA, there remains the potential for the microbiota to exert functional and metabolic influences in the oral cavity which could be involved in the pathogenesis of AxSpA.

Keywords: Axial spondyloarthritis; Microbiome; Oral cavity; Periodontal disease.

Grants and funding

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and New Zealand Dental Association Research Foundation provided funding for this work. JEB was the recipient of an NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.