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Abstract
The guinea-pig model was used to preliminarily examine the effect of in vivo growth conditions on selected characteristics of Porphyromonas gingivalis W83. Bacterial cells recovered from an experimental infection were surrounded by an electron-dense material and showed a higher cell-associated trypsin-like activity and a lower haemagglutinating activity than the same cells cultivated for five passages in a complex culture medium. Western blotting immunoanalysis revealed a number of antigenic differences between cells grown in vivo and in vitro. Overall, the study indicates that the guinea-pig model is useful in studying P.gingivalis in an in vivo situation and suggests that in the course of an infection, some qualitative changes occur in the antigenic and biological properties of P. gingivalis.