Novel Isolation and Identification Methods for Veillonella Species Involved in Halitosis

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to develop a novel selective medium (OVSM) and useful identification method for oral Veillonella species, to assess the prevalence of this species using the selective medium, and to investigate whether the monitoring of oral Veillonella species levels is useful as a clinical indicator for the diagnosis of halitosis. Methods: To examine bacterial populations in the oral cavity, a novel selective medium (OVSM) and multiplex PCR method were developed for isolating and identifying oral Veillonella species. OVSM consists of tryptic soy agar, sheep blood, sodium lactate, vancomycin, and oxacillin. Results: Oral Veillonella species grew well on OVSM. Oral Veillonella species accounted for 5.4% and 27.2%, respectively, of all bacteria in the tongue biofilm samples of healthy and halitosis subjects. Oral Veillonella species produced larger amounts of volatile sulfur compounds than other representative oral bacteria. Conclusion: These results indicate that monitoring the levels of these organisms is useful as a clinical indicator for the diagnosis of halitosis.