4%) was the most frequently isolated species amongst the controls ( Table 2). No significant learn more differences in staphylococcus counts were observed amongst the subgroups for CD4T cells; however, counts were significantly lower in the subgroup with a viral load of less than 400 copies/mm3 (Table 3). The HIV-positive group showed a higher percentage of individuals positive
for Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae (77.7%) than the control (44.4%) (p = 0.001). Also, the counts of these microorganisms were significantly higher amongst HIV-positive patients than in the control group (p = 0.0001) ( Table 1). Enterobacter cloacae was the most frequently isolated species in both groups (18.8% in the HIV-positive group and 16.32% in the control group). Amongst Pseudomonadaceae species, Chryseomonas luteola was the most Selleckchem R428 common in both studied groups (7.3% in the HIV-positive group and 6.1% in the control group). Other species identified are shown in Table 4. Counts of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were significantly lower in the subgroup with <200 CD4 cells/mm3. With respect to viral load, significantly lower counts of staphylococci in the subgroup with <400 copies/mm3 were observed ( Table 3). One of the most challenging problems involving staphylococci has been their increasing resistance to methicillin, vancomycin and other antibiotics.23, 24 and 25 Oral reservoirs of these microorganisms may be
potential sources for infection in immunosuppressed
patients.26 In this study, staphylococci were isolated from 86.6% of the control group and 84.4% of HIV-positive patients. Previous studies reported a variable presence of staphylococcus in systemically diseased patients. These values varied from 28% amongst patients with malignant neoplasias3 to 96% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.27 High percentages of patients positive for see more staphylococci in the oral cavity have been reported in the literature, with values from 94%27 to 95.6%28 amongst adults. Jackson et al.29 also observed a higher frequency of isolation in the oral cavities of healthy children (92%). The results obtained in this study confirm the conclusion of Smith et al.10 that staphylococcus species can often be isolated from the oral cavities of healthy or diseased children and adults. Although staphylococci have been considered part of the normal oral microbiota,27 and 29 their presence in the oral cavity may be associated with local and systemic infections, especially in immunosuppressed patients.10 With respect to the species identified in this study, S. epidermidis and S. aureus were the most prevalent coagulase-negative and coagulase-positive species, respectively, in both groups. The isolation of these species in the oral cavity and periodontal sites has been reported in the literature. 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 The HIV-positive group showed a greater diversity of coagulase-negative species; the presence of S. warneri, S. capitis, S.