''Tannerella forsythia'' is an
anaerobic
Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to:
* Anaerobic adhesive, a bonding a ...
,
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...
bacterial species of the
Bacteroidota phylum. It has been implicated in
periodontal disease
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a set of inflammatory conditions affecting the tissues surrounding the teeth. In its early stage, called gingivitis, the gums become swollen and red and may bleed. It is considered the main caus ...
s and is a member of the
red complex
The red complex is a group of bacteria that are categorized together based on their association with severe forms of periodontal disease. The red complex—among a number of other complexes—were classified by Sigmund Socransky in 1998.
The thre ...
of
periodontal pathogen Well studied Periodontal pathogens are bacteria that have been shown to significantly contribute to periodontitis.
Dental plaque, the precursor of periodontal disease, is a complex biofilm consisting mainly of bacteria, but also archaea, protozoa, ...
s. ''T. forsythia'' was previously named ''Bacteroides forsythus'' and ''Tannerella forsythensis''.
''Tannerella forsythia'' was discovered by and named after Anne Tanner, who works at
The Forsyth Institute located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
''T. forsythia'' has been identified in atherosclerotic lesions. Lee et al. found that infecting mice with ''T. forsythia'' induced foam cell formation and accelerated the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. It has also been isolated from women with
bacterial vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a disease of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urination ...
.
The presence of oral ''T. forsythia'' has been found to be associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer.
Oral microbiota indicates link between periodontal disease, esophageal cancer
''Science Daily''. December 1, 2017
See also
* List of bacterial vaginosis microbiota
References
Further reading
*
External links
NIH/Medline
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID; Salpingitis, Endometritis)
Type strain of ''Tannerella forsythia'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Bacteroidia
Inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs
Reproductive system
Gynaecology
Sexual health
Bacterial vaginosis
{{Bacteroidetes-stub