The Oral Microbiome of Healthy Japanese People at the Age of 90

• Main Authors: Yoshiaki Nomura, Erika Kakuta, Noboru Kaneko, Kaname Nohno, Akihiro Yoshihara, Nobuhiro Hanada
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: oral microbiome; pyrosequencing; core microbiome; elderly
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/18/6450

For a healthy oral cavity, maintaining a healthy microbiome is essential. However, data on healthy microbiomes are not sufficient. To determine the nature of the core microbiome, the oral-microbiome structure was analyzed using pyrosequencing data. Saliva samples were obtained from healthy 90-year-old participants who attended the 20-year follow-up Niigata cohort study. A total of 85 people participated in the health checkups. The study population consisted of 40 male and 45 female participants. Stimulated saliva samples were obtained by chewing paraffin wax for 5 min. The V3–V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene were amplified by PCR. Pyrosequencing was performed using MiSeq. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were assigned on the basis of a 97% identity search in the EzTaxon-e database. Using the threshold of 100% detection on the species level, 13 species were detected: <i>Streptococcus sinensis</i>, <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i>, <i>Streptococcus salivarius</i>, KV831974_s, <i>Streptococcus parasanguinis</i>, <i>Veillonella dispar</i>, <i>Granulicatella adiacens</i>, <i>Streptococcus</i>_uc, <i>Streptococcus peroris</i>, KE952139_s, <i>Veillonella parvula</i>, <i>Atopobium parvulum</i>, and AFQU_vs. These species represent potential candidates for the core make-up of the human microbiome.