Carriage of the JP2 Genotype of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans by Periodontitis Patients of Various Geographic Origin, Living in Sweden

The JP2 genotype of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans serotype b is associated with aggressive forms of periodontitis and was initially identified as affecting adolescents in North and West Africa. The dissemination of this genotype follows the migration routes and can today be detected in samples from periodontitis patients in a high number of countries. In the present study, we aim to describe findings of the JP2 genotype A. actinomycetemcomits in a clinical laboratory at the Dental School, Odontology, Umeå University, Sweden. The findings of JP2 carriers are documented during a 21-year period, and the age and geographic origin of the sampled individuals are described. In addition, the collected JP2 isolates were separated into North or West African origin by analyses of the presence of a point mutation in the hbpA2 pseudogene of the bacterium. In a total of 2296 sampled individuals during this period in this Swedish population of periodontitis patients, 32 JP2 carriers were detected by cultivation and PCR. The geographic background of these individuals was diverse, including sixteen with African origin, ten with a Swedish origin and six additional ones with a non-African origin. The JP2 genotypes of A. actinomycetemcomitans were mainly isolated from young individuals (<35 years of age), and seven out of the 32 isolates were of a West African origin based on the sequence of hbpA2. We conclude that the JP2 genotype of A. actinomycetemcomitans can be detected world-wide in subgingival plaque samples from adolescents affected by periodontitis.