Heart Infection Caused by Cavity Causing Bacteria
Scientists have discovered that bacteria usually only be found in the mouth, and causing troubles such as cavities, is also linked to the heart infection known as endocarditis.
The disease can sometimes prove lethal and following this worrying discovery professionals and experts are calling for a means of screening patients for the infection. Although the link between the disease and oral health has only just been discovered, work is being done on creating a way of checking a patient’s susceptibility via cheek swabs or saliva samples.
The discovery was originally made by American microbiologists from the University of Rochester Medical Centre, where Streptococcus mutans (bacteria usually found in plaque and one of the materials that create cavities in the mouth) was discovered in heart tissue.
Scientists also found a reason why bacteria usually confined to the mouth was discovered in the heart – the dislodging of the bacteria is usually caused either by flossing or following a dental procedure, after which Streptococcus mutans enters the bloodstream, where it is killed off by white blood cells and the immune system. In exceptionally rare cases, however, the bacteria avoid being exterminated and enter the heart. Once it reaches the heart it remains there and come in to contact with certain areas of the heart, particularly heart valves where they can cause inflammation which has the potential to be fatal.
The reason for the bacteria’s ability to invade the heart has been pinned down to the presence of a collagen binding protein called CNM. CNM allowed Streptococcus mutans to both enter and, more decisively, take and keep a foothold within the heart and begin the inflammation of the heart valves.
While a discovery to keep the bacteria out of the heart has yet to be discovered, doctors and scientists hope that the discovery of CNM will go a long way to finding a solution and that screening methods to gauge vulnerability in patients is not far away.
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Hi,
I recently visited my dentist to have two fillings to the bottom of both molars. Two days later I experienced a sore throat and what felt like a cold coming on. I am currently on medical leave for a rare auto-immune disease and am taking medications that really suppress my immune system. I have been feeling very ill and have been experiencing awful taste in my mouth. Would I be wise to let my specialist know and should I be tested for endocarditis? Thank you.