Mucus is more than just a physical barrier for trapping oral microorganisms.

Mucus is more than just a physical barrier for trapping oral microorganisms.
J Oral Microbiol. 2020 Jul 03;12(1):1788352
Authors: Olsen I
Abstract
Mucus is thought to serve as a protective coating on wet epithelial surfaces. Recent research has shown that glycans, which are branched sugar molecules found in mucin, a part of mucus, can prevent bacteria from communicating with each other and forming biofilms. This could hinder microbes from causing infections. The present editorial, focusing on a paper by Wheeler et al. [1], published in October 2019 in Nature Microbiology, describes how mucus can attenuate the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, streptococci and Candida albicans can be 'tamed' by mucin.
PMID: 32944151 [PubMed]

Source: Journal of Oral Microbiology - September 20, 2020 Category: Microbiology Tags: J Oral Microbiol Source Type: research