Occurrence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Filifactor alocis in a cohort of Western Australians with periodontitis

Abstract

This thesis investigated the prevalence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Filifactor alocis in Western Australian periodontitis patients, addressing a major gap in Oceanian data. A systematic review showed global presence of the JP2 genotype but no data from Oceania. In a cohort of 220 patients, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was detected at low levels with noJP2 genotype, while serotype e predominated. In contrast, Filifactor alocis and its ftxA gene were highly prevalent. Saliva proved a reliable, non-invasive diagnostic medium. Overall, disease severity was more strongly associated with host and behavioural factors than microbial presence, highlighting the clinical relevance of these findings.