Treponema denticola is an important oral pathogen of man, associated with periodontitis. Periodontal infection affects a large segment of the population resulting in significant health costs. In addition, this bacterium is one of the few spirochetes that can be cultured outside of animals, providing an attractive system in which to study these organisms. Recently targeted mutagenesis and gene transfer have been applied to T. denticola, making it an organism of choice. This approach should allow the role and mechanisms of periodontal infection by T. denticola to be defined in detail.
