Genetic variation of a fimbrial protein from Porphyromonas gingivalis and its distribution in patients with periodontal diseases

Pg-II fim from various strains of Porphyromonas gingivalis was classified on the basis of each nucleotide sequence, while the distribution of Pg-II fim types in 141 subgingival plaque samples was analyzed using PCR assays. Pg-II fim was divided into two types as follows: strains OMZ409, HG405, 381, ATCC 33277 and BH18/10 (type 1) and strains OMZ314 and HW24D-1 (type 2). The presence of P. gingivalis was demonstrated in 2.8% of healthy subjects and 56.1% of patients with periodontal diseases, and Pg-II fim was detected in 91.8% of the P. gingivalis-positive subjects. We also analyzed the distribution of the Pg-II fim types among Pg-II fim-positive patients, with the following results: type 1 (38.2%), type 2 (56.4%) and types 1 and 2 (5.4%). These findings strongly suggest that P. gingivalis organisms possessing Pg-II fim type 2 was principally detected in patients with periodontal diseases.