https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1417-7048
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ABSTRACT
Background
Entamoeba gingivalis has been associated with periodontal diseases. Baseline data from the background population, which could help delimit the role of the parasite in health and disease, remain limited.
Objective
To describe epidemiological features, genetic diversity, and associations with oral microbiome signatures of E. gingivalis colonisation in Tanzanians with non-oral/non-dental diseases.
Methods
DNAs from 92 oral washings from 52 participants were subject to metabarcoding of ribosomal genes. DNA sequences were identified to genus level and submitted to oral microbiota diversity analyses.
Results
Sixteen (31%) of the 52 study participants were E. gingivalis-positive, with no difference in positivity rate according to gender or age. Only one subtype (ST1) was found. Individuals testing positive for E. gingivalis had higher oral microbiota alpha diversity than those testing negative (P = 0.03). Eight of the top-ten most common bacterial genera were shared between the two groups (Alloprevotella, Fusobacterium, Gemella, Haemophilus, Neisseria, Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella). Meanwhile, E. gingivalis carriers and non-carriers were more likely to have Aggregatibacter and Rothia, respectively, among the top-ten most common genera.
Conclusion
About one third of the cohort carried E. gingivalis ST1, and carriers had higher oral microbiome diversity and were more predominantly colonized by Aggregatibacter.
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our gratitude to all the study volunteers that participated in the study and would also like to thank Dr Geofrey Makenga and Mr Rashid Madebe (NIMR) for their assistance during the study. We would like to thank the technicians in the Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi for excellent technical assistance.
Availability of data
The demographic data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, CRS. The data are not publicly available due to restrictions in place serving not to compromise the privacy of the research participants.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data deposition
One DNA sequence was uploaded to the NCBI database (MW676260). A repository of the E. gingivalis partial SSU rDNA sequences obtained in the study is available at https://github.com/Entamoeba/Tanz_mouthwash