Identification of Unique Bacterial Gene Segments from Streptococcus mutans with Potential Relevance to Dental Caries by Subtraction DNA Hybridization

Abstract
Using DNA subtractive hybridization, 49 unique gene segments were identified from a strain of Streptococcus mutans that was isolated from a patient with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Further hybridization with DNA from other S. mutans strains isolated from both caries-active and caries-free subjects yielded five unique sequences of DNA common to strains associated with S-ECC.