{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T20:40:21Z","timestamp":1792010421996,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]],"date-time":"2025-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1762214400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Independent Research Fund, Denmark","award":["DFF-7016-00233"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DFF-7016-00233"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Periodontitis has been suggested to play a role in the etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, evidence remains limited, and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans are strongly linked to periodontitis. Here, we evaluate the levels of circulating antibodies against these bacteria in patients with SLE and healthy controls and analyze their association with SLE-related autoantibodies. Serum IgG antibodies against P. gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin A (LtxA), and two control bacteria (Capnocytophaga ochracea and Escherichia coli) were quantified in 223 patients with SLE and 301 healthy controls. Data was analyzed with ANCOVA and logistic regressions adjusting for age, sex, and smoking status. Exposure to P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans, as estimated from antibody levels, was associated with SLE (Odds Ratios (ORs) = 3.0, p = 0.0002 and OR = 2.61, p = 0.0007, respectively). An additive interaction on SLE susceptibility was observed for exposure to P. gingivalis and smoking, with an attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) = 0.72 (95% CI = 0.41\u20131.02). Anti-A. actinomycetemcomitans LtxA antibodies were elevated in patients positive for anti-dsDNA antibodies (p = 0.02) and nominally increased in those positive for anti-cardiolipin antibodies (p = 0.06). Elevated levels of antibodies against P. gingivalis and A. actinomycetemcomitans in patients with SLE suggest a role for these bacteria, or periodontitis, in the immunopathogenesis of SLE. An additive interaction with smoking was observed for P. gingivalis, and A. actinomycetemcomitans exposure was associated with anti\u2013DSNA antibody positivity, supporting a link between these bacteria and SLE.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms262110719","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]],"date-time":"2025-11-04T11:11:16Z","timestamp":1762254676000},"page":"10719","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Antibodies to Periodontal Bacteria Are Associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Autoantibody Positivity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5647-4617","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Massarenti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Inflammation Research, Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Section 7521, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark"},{"name":"Research Area Periodontology, Section for Oral Biology and Immunopathology, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5821-2768","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Henrik Christian Bidstrup","family":"Leffers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Copenhagen Center for Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases (COPEACT), Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4431-9972","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thorsten","family":"Brodersen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Immunology, Zealand University Hospital, 4600 K\u00f8ge, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9056-535X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter Riis","family":"Hansen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Herlev-Gentofte Hospital, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2394-746X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Damgaard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Area Periodontology, Section for Oral Biology and Immunopathology, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2312-5976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ole Birger","family":"Pedersen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Immunology, Zealand University Hospital, 4600 K\u00f8ge, Denmark"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5654-4993","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S\u00f8ren","family":"Jacobsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Copenhagen Center for Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases (COPEACT), Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7543-9016","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claus Henrik","family":"Nielsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Inflammation Research, Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Section 7521, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark"},{"name":"Research Area Periodontology, Section for Oral Biology and Immunopathology, Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"409","DOI":"10.1016\/j.it.2009.05.005","article-title":"Infections and autoimmunity\u2014Friends or foes?","volume":"30","author":"Kivity","year":"2009","journal-title":"Trends 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Epidemiol."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Molecular Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/26\/21\/10719\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]],"date-time":"2025-11-04T11:17:47Z","timestamp":1762255067000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1422-0067\/26\/21\/10719"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]]},"references-count":47,"journal-issue":{"issue":"21","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11]]}},"alternative-id":["ijms262110719"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijms262110719","relation":{},"ISSN":["1422-0067"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1422-0067","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,4]]}}}