OBJECTIVE To explore the pathogens isolated from the patients with oral and maxillofacial space infections and the expressions of inflammatory factors and analyze their significance so as to provide bases for treatment of the disease.
METHODS The clinical data were collected from 186 patients with oral and maxillofacial space infections who were treated in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from Dec. 2019 to May 2024. The secretions were collected from the infection sites. Pathogens were identified, the drug susceptibility testing was performed, and the infection sites were analyzed. The biofilm formation ability was evaluated by crystal violet staining method. The levels of serum D-Dimer, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The human oral epithelial cells (HOEC) were cultured, the adhesion and invasion abilities and release of the induced inflammatory factors of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus constellatus strains were evaluated.
RESULTS The single-space infection was the predominant type of the oral and maxillofacial space infections and mainly caused by gram-positive bacteria. The infections resulted in the rise of serum inflammatory factors (D-Dimer, hs-CRP, PCT, TNF-α and IL-6). The S. aureus and S. constellatus strains showed strong adhesion and invasion abilities to HOEC, which may induce the secretion of large amount of inflammatory factors; the S.aureus strains presented higher pathogenicity and inflammation-induced ability.
CONCLUSIONS The single-space infection caused by the gram-positive bacteria is dominant among the oral and maxillofacial space infections. The S. aureus strains mediate the progress of infections through intensifying the cellular adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival mechanisms.
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