The Association between Tannerella forsythia and the Onset of Fever in Older Nursing Home Residents: A Prospective Cohort Study

Ayaka Koga, Wataru Ariyoshi, Kaoru Kobayashi, Maya Izumi, Ayaka Isobe, Sumio Akifusa and Tatsuji Nishihara
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Ayaka Koga: Division of Infections and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Wataru Ariyoshi: Division of Infections and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Kaoru Kobayashi: Division of Infections and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Maya Izumi: School of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Ayaka Isobe: School of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Sumio Akifusa: School of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan
Tatsuji Nishihara: Division of Infections and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Fukuoka 803-8580, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Periodontal pathogens are related to the incidence of systemic diseases. This study aimed to examine whether periodontal pathogen burden is associated with the risk of fever onset in older adults. Methods: Older adults in nursing homes, aged ≥65 years, were enrolled. The study was set in Kitakyushu, Japan. The body temperatures of participants were ≥37.2 °C and were recorded for eight months. As periodontal pathogens, Porphyromonas gingivalis , Treponema denticola , and Tannerella forsythia were qualified by a real-time polymerase chain reaction at the baseline. For statistical analysis, the number of bacterial counts was logarithmically conversed to 10 as a base. Results: Data from 56 participants with a median age of 88 (62–98) years were available for analysis. The logarithmic-conversed bacterial counts of T. forsythia , but not P. gingivalis or T. denticola , were associated with the onset of fever in older residents. The Kaplan–Meier method revealed that the group with <10 4 of T. forsythia had significantly less cumulative fever incidence than the group with ≥10 4 of T. forsythia . The group with ≥10 4 of T. forsythia was associated with an increased risk of fever onset (hazard ratio, 3.7; 98% confidence interval, 1.3–10.2; p = 0.012), which was adjusted for possible confounders. Conclusions: Bacterial burden of T. forsythia in the oral cavity was associated with the risk of the onset of fever in older nursing homes residents.

Keywords: fever; nursing home; older adults; periodontal pathogens; Tannerella forsythia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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