Oral Bacterium Newly Identified Linked To Heart Disease And Meningitis

A novel bacterium (Streptococcus tigurinus), thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a study in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. Its identification will allow scientists to work out how it causes disease and evaluate the risk that it poses.