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Streptococcus mutans - Selenomonas sputigena ECC Pathobiont Model

Community ID CommunityMech:000084
Ecological State ENGINEERED
Environment supragingival cariogenic plaque biofilm — ontology label: environment determined by a biofilm on an animal surface
ENVO:01001034 · HabitatMech ↗

A defined dual-species oral biofilm model derived from early childhood caries discovery-validation work. Selenomonas sputigena becomes trapped within Streptococcus mutans exoglucans, builds a honeycomb-like multicellular superstructure, enhances acidogenesis, and increases enamel lesion severity in vivo.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Streptococcus mutans NCBITaxon:1309 · TaxonMech · TraitMech N/A
  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VIVO)
    "Streptococcus mutans has been implicated as the primary pathogen in childhood caries (tooth decay)."
Selenomonas sputigena NCBITaxon:69823 · TaxonMech · TraitMech N/A
  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VIVO)
    "We show that S. sputigena, a flagellated anaerobe with previously unknown role in supragingival biofilm, becomes trapped in streptococcal exoglucans"

Ecological Interactions

The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.

Ecological interaction network for Streptococcus mutans - Selenomonas sputigena ECC Pathobiont Model Bipartite graph where circles represent taxa and non-circular symbols represent interactions, with distinct shapes and colours for colonization facilitation. Rare or untyped interactions share the Other symbol; exact curated types remain in the interaction details.
Taxon
Colonization facilitation
Other

Streptococcal Exoglucan Entrapment of Selenomonas sputigena

COLONIZATION_FACILITATION

Streptococcus mutans exoglucans trap Selenomonas sputigena, suppress its motility, and create a structured mixed-species biofilm. The primary in-vitro surface-colonization comparison supports S. mutans-to-S. sputigena facilitation; it does not establish the reverse direction from acid output alone.

Source Taxon: Streptococcus mutans

Target Taxon: Selenomonas sputigena

Metabolites: glucan (CHEBI:37163 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Honeycomb Biofilm Acidogenesis

Exoglucan entrapment immobilizes and supports S. sputigena in the mixed biofilm, leading to a honeycomb-like superstructure around S. mutans that enhances acidogenesis.

Evidence

  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We show that S. sputigena, a flagellated anaerobe with previously unknown role in supragingival biofilm, becomes trapped in streptococcal exoglucans, loses motility but actively proliferates to build a honeycomb-like multicellular-superstructure encapsulating S. mutans, enhancing acidogenesis."

Honeycomb Biofilm Acidogenesis

Entrapped Selenomonas sputigena actively proliferates into a honeycomb-like multicellular superstructure that encapsulates Streptococcus mutans and enhances acidogenesis in the mixed-species biofilm. This is a mixed-biofilm structure and metabolic outcome, not a measurement of S. mutans establishment. Primary matrix-disruption results support the structural contribution to localized acidity.

Participating Taxa: Streptococcus mutans, Selenomonas sputigena

Metabolites: glucan (CHEBI:37163 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Rodent Coinfection Caries Outcome

PARTIAL: the structured acidic biofilm is the proposed mediator of the rodent lesion outcome. The primary in-vitro disruption and ex-vivo enamel results support the structure-to-damage interpretation, while the rodent coinfection comparison does not independently isolate that mediator in vivo.

Evidence

  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "We show that S. sputigena, a flagellated anaerobe with previously unknown role in supragingival biofilm, becomes trapped in streptococcal exoglucans, loses motility but actively proliferates to build a honeycomb-like multicellular-superstructure encapsulating S. mutans, enhancing acidogenesis."
  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "The data suggest that the interspecies spatial structuring between S. sputigena and S. mutans is required to create a virulent acidic microenvironment."

Rodent Coinfection Caries Outcome

In the reported rodent model, S. sputigena alone did not cause more caries than the control, whereas dual-species coinfection increased lesion severity. This community-associated host outcome does not itself demonstrate a colonization benefit to S. mutans or establish human causal direction.

Participating Taxa: Streptococcus mutans, Selenomonas sputigena

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:37217495 - SUPPORT (IN_VIVO)
    "While incapable of causing caries on its own, when co-infected with S. mutans, S. sputigena causes extensive tooth enamel lesions and exacerbates disease severity in vivo."

Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)

KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN How directly does the model establish mediation of disease in humans?

Primary results support S. mutans-assisted S. sputigena colonization, matrix-dependent structure and local acidity, ex-vivo enamel damage, and greater rodent disease under coinfection. Retain this experimental evidence and both directions; only the in-vivo mediation bridge is PARTIAL. Do not turn the reverse acidogenesis effect into a colonization-facilitation label. Human discovery data are cross-sectional. Exact molecular details remain unresolved; no new mechanisms or experimental procedures are added.

Attaches to: ecological_interactions#Streptococcal Exoglucan Entrapment of Selenomonas sputigena, ecological_interactions#Honeycomb Biofilm Acidogenesis, ecological_interactions#Rodent Coinfection Caries Outcome

1 evidence item(s)
IN_VIVO SUPPORT PMID:37217495

the cross-sectional nature of our human observational data, which limits the samples’ inferential potential regarding temporality and causality

The primary discussion explicitly limits human causal inference.

Growth Media

Brain Heart Infusion Supplemented (BHIS) medium

Temperature 37 °C
Atmosphere ANAEROBIC

Preparation notes: BHI broth supplemented with 5 g/L yeast extract, 5 mg/L hemin, 1 mg/L vitamin K1, and 0.5 g/L L-cysteine; single or mixed biofilms grown on apatitic surfaces in BHIS with 1% sucrose to simulate cariogenic conditions.

Evidence

PMID:37217495

"Bacteria were grown in Brain Heart Infusion Supplemented (BHIS) medium (Brain Heart Infusion broth supplemented with 5 g/L yeast extract, 5 mg/L Hemin, 1 mg/L Vitamin K1, and 0.5 g/L L-cysteine) at 37 °C to exponential phase in an anaerobic chamber (Anaerobe Systems)."

PMID:37217495

"The cultures were incubated in the anaerobic chamber at 37 °C for 48 h."

Cross-Mech Suite Links

Explore related entities across the CultureBotAI X-Mech knowledge bases:

HabitatMech: supragingival cariogenic plaque biofilm ↗ TaxonMech: Streptococcus mutans ↗ TraitMech: Streptococcus mutans ↗ TaxonMech: Selenomonas sputigena ↗ TraitMech: Selenomonas sputigena ↗ CultureMech Growth Media ↗ PathwayMech Pathways ↗