Serotipos prevalentes de Streptococcus Mutans en América latina. Revisión bibliográfica

Abstract

The oral microbiota is made up of diverse bacterial species that under normal conditions play a protective role for the host; however, when there is an imbalance in the ecosystem these microorganisms are capable of producing diverse manifestations such as dental caries, an infectious disease produced mainly by Streptococcus mutans, a pathogen capable of demineralizing the hard tissues of the tooth through the fermentation of carbohydrates obtained from the diet. Eight serotypes involved in bacterial adhesion, aggregation, and coaggregation have been identified in the cell wall of this microorganism. In humans, Streptococcus mutans presents serotypes c, e, and f, serotype c being the most prevalent worldwide, which is known to be associated with healthy patients, unlike serotypes e and f which are capable of invading the endothelial cells of the coronary arteries. However, in recent years, serotype k has been identified, which also has a high capacity to invade the human endothelium, acting in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. This literature review aims to identify the prevalent serotypes of Streptococcus mutans in Latin America.