Development of a new preventive method for aspiration pneumonia based on property analysis of Candida bacteria collected from different oral environments

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K10272
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57080:Social dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Fujishima Kei 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域歯学系, 助教 (50553153)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 長田 恵美 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域鹿児島大学病院, 講師 (00304816) ; 於保 孝彦 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域歯学系, 教授 (50160940)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 誤嚥性肺炎 / 義歯

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Aspiration pneumonia mainly develops in the elderly, and dentures are one of the factors that characterize the oral environment of the elderly. Candida albicans (hereinafter referred to as C.albicans), a type of aspiration pneumonia-causing bacteria, always resides in the oral cavity. Therefore, C.albicans were collected from dentures and analyzed for its ability to adhere to denture base materials, ability to proliferate, and resistance to amphotericin B and histatin 5, which are antifungal components.
As a result, many of the collected C.albicans showed significant resistance to amphotericin B and histatin 5 compared to the indicator strain JCM1537. These results suggest that C.albicans, which causes aspiration pneumonia and is resistant to antifungal agents, exist on the denture.

Free Research Field

口腔微生物学分野

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究結果より、義歯上には誤嚥性肺炎発症の起因菌の一種である、Candida albicansが常在し、そして義歯に付着したCandida albicansの多くが抗真菌性成分に対し耐性を担っている可能性があることが示唆された。
義歯に付着するCandida albicansが誤嚥性肺炎発症のリスクファクターになり得るという当研究結果より、特に義歯を装着した高齢者においては、改めて義歯メンテナンスを目的とした定期的なかかりつけ歯科医院受診の必要性、また、自宅での徹底した義歯衛生管理の必要性を社会に啓蒙する点において、当研究成果は社会的意義があると考える。