Molecular analysis of oral microflora in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome by using high-throughput sequencingOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers compared the oral microflora of 22 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) against 23 healthy, age and sex matched controls. Oral rinse samples were profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V3-V4 region.
How was it studied?
Samples were sequenced on the Illumina Miseq PE300 platform and analyzed for alpha and beta diversity. LEfSe (LDA Effect Size) analysis identified genera that discriminated between groups, and results were checked against dental caries indices (DMFT and DMFS).
What did they find?
pSS patients had significantly higher decayed, missing and filled teeth and surfaces than controls. Alpha diversity was depleted in pSS patients, though beta diversity did not differ significantly between groups. Seven genera discriminated the groups: Veillonella was fourfold higher in pSS patients, while Actinomyces, Haemophilus, Neisseria, Rothia, Porphyromonas and Peptostreptococcus were all lower. Veillonella abundance did not correlate significantly with DMFT or DMFS. Nine core genera were shared across all samples in both groups.
Why it matters
The findings point to oral microbial dysbiosis in pSS, with Veillonella proposed as a possible biomarker. The shared core microbiome suggests pSS patients retain a similar baseline oral community to healthy people, informing future caries prevention strategies.