Previous research has shown that using DNA probes to identify the presence of specific bacteria in human plaque samples is superior to the commonly used anaerobic cultural procedures. Some periodontal pathogens are either uncultivable or very difficult to grow, such as Prevotella intermedia, P. nigrescens, and Eubacterium brachy. Digoxygenin probes were prepared for 15 oral bacteria. These probes were used with a checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization scheme to analyze whether human plaque samples contained any of the 15 bacterial species. Our results have shown that this method is successful in identifying bacterial DNA present in the subgingival patient plaque samples. Probe cross-reactivity tests were also performed and have shown that there was very little cross-reactivity between the 15 bacterial species used. This method can be used for rapid and specific identification (compared to current anaerobic culturing methods) of bacterial species in human plaque samples, thus potentially facilitating treatment for pathogens implicated in periodontal diseases.
","abstract_html":"<p>Previous research has shown that using DNA probes to identify the presence of specific bacteria in human plaque samples is superior to the commonly used anaerobic cultural procedures. Some periodontal pathogens are either uncultivable or very difficult to grow, such as<em> Prevotella intermedia, P. nigrescens</em>, and <em>Eubacterium brachy</em>. Digoxygenin probes were prepared for 15 oral bacteria. These probes were used with a checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization scheme to analyze whether human plaque samples contained any of the 15 bacterial species. Our results have shown that this method is successful in identifying bacterial DNA present in the subgingival patient plaque samples. Probe cross-reactivity tests were also performed and have shown that there was very little cross-reactivity between the 15 bacterial species used. This method can be used for rapid and specific identification (compared to current anaerobic culturing methods) of bacterial species in human plaque samples, thus potentially facilitating treatment for pathogens implicated in periodontal diseases.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zimmerman, Jasan Lee"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["James D. Kettering","Hansel M. Fletcher","Yiming Li"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1999,"date_issued":"1999-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1999-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:53:31Z","subjects":["Microbiology","Molecular Genetics","Periodontics and Periodontology","DNA Probes; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Periodontal Diseases -- microbiology; Tooth -- microbiology."],"languages":["English"],"rights":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/820","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["James D. Kettering","Hansel M. Fletcher","Yiming Li"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zimmerman, Jasan Lee"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Microbiology","Molecular Genetics","Periodontics and Periodontology","DNA Probes; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Periodontal Diseases -- microbiology; Tooth -- microbiology."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/820"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Previous research has shown that using DNA probes to identify the presence of specific bacteria in human plaque samples is superior to the commonly used anaerobic cultural procedures. Some periodontal pathogens are either uncultivable or very difficult to grow, such as Prevotella intermedia, P. nigrescens, and Eubacterium brachy. Digoxygenin probes were prepared for 15 oral bacteria. These probes were used with a checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization scheme to analyze whether human plaque samples contained any of the 15 bacterial species. Our results have shown that this method is successful in identifying bacterial DNA present in the subgingival patient plaque samples. Probe cross-reactivity tests were also performed and have shown that there was very little cross-reactivity between the 15 bacterial species used. This method can be used for rapid and specific identification (compared to current anaerobic culturing methods) of bacterial species in human plaque samples, thus potentially facilitating treatment for pathogens implicated in periodontal diseases.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["DNA-DNA Checkerboard Hybridization to Identify Bacteria in Human Plaque Samples"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["James D. Kettering","Hansel M. Fletcher","Yiming Li"],"dc:creator":["Zimmerman, Jasan Lee"],"dc:description.abstract":["Previous research has shown that using DNA probes to identify the presence of specific bacteria in human plaque samples is superior to the commonly used anaerobic cultural procedures. Some periodontal pathogens are either uncultivable or very difficult to grow, such as Prevotella intermedia, P. nigrescens, and Eubacterium brachy. Digoxygenin probes were prepared for 15 oral bacteria. These probes were used with a checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization scheme to analyze whether human plaque samples contained any of the 15 bacterial species. Our results have shown that this method is successful in identifying bacterial DNA present in the subgingival patient plaque samples. Probe cross-reactivity tests were also performed and have shown that there was very little cross-reactivity between the 15 bacterial species used. This method can be used for rapid and specific identification (compared to current anaerobic culturing methods) of bacterial species in human plaque samples, thus potentially facilitating treatment for pathogens implicated in periodontal diseases.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/820"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:rights":["This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights."],"dc:subject":["Microbiology","Molecular Genetics","Periodontics and Periodontology","DNA Probes; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Periodontal Diseases -- microbiology; Tooth -- microbiology."],"dc:title":["DNA-DNA Checkerboard Hybridization to Identify Bacteria in Human Plaque Samples"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:53:31Z"}