Abstract

Microbiological and serological (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) investigations were carried out, including karyotyping, on two Asian children with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. In case 1, a girl aged four years, the most prevalent putative periodontopathogens were Eikenella corrodens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia (deciduous dentition) and Bacteroides gracilis, E corrodens and F nucleatum (permanent dentition). In case 2, a boy aged nine years, they were F nucleatum, P intermedia and P loeschii and E corrodens. Serum from case 2 showed a raised specific IgG antibody response to Actinomyces actino-mycetemcomitans serotype b. Thus, a wider range of species than hitherto reported may be associated with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome, including A actino-mycetemcomitans and F nucleatum.