Division of Microbiology and Oral Infection
 
Topics of Studies >>
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that is classified in the genus Porphyromonas, family Porphyromonadaceae, order Bacteroidales, class Bacteroides, phylum Bacteroidetes. P. gingivalis had been called Bacteroides melaninogenicus, Bacteroides asaccharolyticus, or Bacteroides gingivalis until 1988. It is a major periodontal pathogen which is often found in deep periodontal pockets of humans. Recently, a number of epidemiological studies have shown significant relationships between periodontal diseases and cardiovascular diseases. P. gingivalis has frequently been found in atherosclerotic plaques.
P. gingivalis makes black pigment colonies on the blood agar plates and produces a broad array of potential virulence factors involved in tissue colonization and destruction as well as host defense perturbation.

1. Molecular genetic study of virulence factors in periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis.
2. Study of a link between periodontal infections and increased risk of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in human subjects.
3. Study of a link between periodontal infections and bone metabolism.
4. Study of Type IX secretion system that we found in periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Members
Position
Name
Nota Bene
Professor    
Associate Professor Mariko Naito  
Assistant Professor Mikio Shoji  
Assistant Professor Keiko Sato  
Research Assistant Hideharu Yukitake  

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