Genetic relatedness of oral yeasts within and between patients with marginal periodontitis and subjects with oral health

Background:  Yeasts are found in periodontal pockets at a frequency of 15–21%. However, the genetic relatedness of oral yeasts within and between patients with marginal periodontitis is not clear. Objectives:  Assay genetic relatedness of oral yeasts from marginal periodontitis patients and oral health subjects, as well as genetic relatedness of yeasts from different oral sites in these two groups of participants. Material and methods:  Yeast isolates were collected from 23 marginal periodontitis patients and 19 oral health subjects. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting and the Dendron computer-assisted program for gel analyses were applied for estimation of genetic relatedness of yeasts. Results:  The similarity coefficient (SAB) of the marginal periodontitis group ranged from 0.49 to 1.00 with an average of 0.64 ± 0.11, whereas the SAB of the oral health group ranged from 0.62 to 1.00 with an average of 0.72 ± 0.07. Three genetic clusters and 73 genotypes were obtained from the marginal periodontitis group, whereas three genetic clusters and 55 genotypes were found in the oral health group. In the pooled dendrogram, 57% of the yeast isolates and the type strain of Candida albicans fell in a major cluster V. There were no significant differences between the frequencies of clusters from the different oral sites within the two participant groups. Conclusions:  Genetically heterogeneous yeasts were found in the oral cavities of marginal periodontitis patients and oral health subjects. Similar genetic clustering patterns were obtained from the yeasts of the two groups, with cluster V being most predominant. Yeasts of the marginal periodontitis group were more genetically diverse than yeasts of the oral health group, and some yeasts of the marginal periodontitis group exhibited unique genetic patterns. There was no clear association between yeast genetic clusters and oral sites in the two participant groups.