Oral Bacteria Present in Cerebral Emboli of Stroke Patients
HELSINKI (Dispatches) -- Researchers have shown for the first time that the cerebral emboli of stroke patients contain DNA from oral pathogens.
The researchers at Tampere University analyzed thrombus aspirates, which neurointerventional radiologists removed from 75 stroke patients as part of emergency treatment. The samples were studied by duplicating bacterial DNA, showing that 79 % of the aspirates contained DNA from bacteria that came from the teeth.
The results showed that a large amount of DNA from streptococcus viridans -- normal bacteria in the mouth -- was found in cerebral thrombi compared with normal blood samples from the same patients. In the oral cavity, streptococci are harmless, but when entering circulation, they might cause, among other things, infections of the cardiac valves. The streptococcus bacteria can directly bind to various platelet receptors, making the patient more prone to blood clots.
The research shows that oral health and good dental hygiene are of much greater importance to health than previously known, and that untreated dental infections can cause serious health damage or even death.
The researchers at Tampere University analyzed thrombus aspirates, which neurointerventional radiologists removed from 75 stroke patients as part of emergency treatment. The samples were studied by duplicating bacterial DNA, showing that 79 % of the aspirates contained DNA from bacteria that came from the teeth.
The results showed that a large amount of DNA from streptococcus viridans -- normal bacteria in the mouth -- was found in cerebral thrombi compared with normal blood samples from the same patients. In the oral cavity, streptococci are harmless, but when entering circulation, they might cause, among other things, infections of the cardiac valves. The streptococcus bacteria can directly bind to various platelet receptors, making the patient more prone to blood clots.
The research shows that oral health and good dental hygiene are of much greater importance to health than previously known, and that untreated dental infections can cause serious health damage or even death.