Impact of liver fibrosis on the relative abundance of a urease-positive Streptococcus salivarius group from saliva in patients with chronic liver disease
Abstract
Aim
We performed genomic analysis to study the relative abundance of a urease-positive Streptococcus salivarius group isolated from the saliva of patients with chronic liver disease.
Methods
Male and female patients with chronic liver disease aged over 20 years were included. First, we assessed the frequency and type of the S. salivarius group isolated from oral saliva using molecular biology techniques based on 16S rRNA and dephospho-coenzyme A kinase gene sequencing. Next, we assessed the correlation between the urease positivity rate in the S. salivarius group isolated from oral saliva and liver fibrosis based on chronic liver disease. Urease-positive strains were identified by the urease test using urea broth (Difco, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA). Liver fibrosis was evaluated by the liver stiffness measurement value based on magnetic resonance elastography.
Results
A total of 45 patients identified using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the 16S rRNA gene were tested using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the dephospho-coenzyme A kinase gene. Confirming the strains detected in each of the 45 patients, urease-positive S. salivarius was detected in 28 patients (62%), urease-negative S. salivarius in 25 patients (56%), and urease-positive Streptococcus vestibularis in 12 patients (27%). There was no patient with urease-negative S. vestibularis. The urease-positive rate of the S. salivarius group in the cirrhosis and non-cirrhosis groups were 82.2% and 39.2%, respectively. The liver cirrhosis group had a higher urease positivity rate than the non-cirrhotic group (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Liver fibrosis influences the frequency of a urease-positive S. salivarius group isolated from oral saliva.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
Authors declare no Conflict of Interests for this article.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings will be available in figshare at (https://figshare.com/account/home#/upload) following an embargo from the date of publication to allow for commercialization of research findings.
