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Gum disease can lead to AIDS

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-13 07:43

An acid produced in the mouth due to gum disease invigorates the virus that can lead to full-blown AIDS, a Japanese researcher said Thursday, billing the finding as a world first.

A group of bacteria causes periodontal disease - a chronic inflammation that erodes bony structure in the gum - posing a threat to the teeth and the entire body, the researcher said.

"They produce a large amount of butyric acid, which smells like socks you wore for a long time," said Kuniyasu Ochiai, professor who chairs the Microbiology Department at Tokyo-based Nihon University.

The acid hinders a kind of enzyme called HDAC that blocks HIV from proliferating, Ochiai said.

In-vitro experiments have shown that the virus in two kinds of cells related to the immune system rapidly proliferates after given culture fluid containing the gum disease-causing bacteria and butyric acid they produced, he said.

"Serious periodontal disease could lead to the development (of AIDS) among HIV-positive people... although the probability largely depends on individual physical strength," Ochiai said.