Quantification of Porphyromonas gingivalis and fimA genotypes in smoker chronic periodontitis

AIM: Porphyromonas gingivalis fimA genotypes were associated with virulence factors in vitro, but little evidence of an association with disease severity were shown in humans. We aimed to correlate levels of P. gingivalis fimA genotypes II and IV and probing depth in smoker-chronic periodontitis subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and sixty eight subgingival samples of 20 smokers non-treated chronic periodontitis subjects obtained from sites with different probing depths [shallow (< or =3 mm), intermediate (4-6 mm), deep (> or =7 mm)] were analysed by real-time PCR for P. gingivalis and genotypes fimA II and IV. RESULTS: P. gingivalis and fimA IV were detected in all subjects, whereas fimA II was detected in 18 subjects (90%). One hundred and fifty two sites (90.5%) harboured P. gingivalis. Genotypes II and IV were detected in 28% and 69.6% of sites, respectively. The proportions of genotypes II and IV in relation to P. gingivalis levels were similar in shallow, intermediate and deep probing sites (2.4%, 4.6%, 1.4% for genotype II and 15.5%, 17.7%, 11.7% for genotype IV, respectively), indicating that other non-tested genotypes were more abundant. Increased levels of genotype IV were associated with increasing probing depth, but not of genotype II. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggested an association between P. gingivalis genotype fimA IV and disease severity in smoker-chronic periodontitis subjects.