Researchers have shown that obesity is linked to weakened antibacterial immunity in experiments with obese mice fighting a Porphyromonas gingivalis infection.

The research conducted by Dr Salomon Amar, Boston University (USA) Goldman School of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Research, looked at how control and obese mice fought P. gingivalis infection.

The team infected the mice using silk thread that had been coated with bacterial broth and tied around their molars. It was determined that obesity acutely compromised the immune responses to gum infection as well as infection of the entire body based on the bone loss and bacterial counts of the mice.

The paper was published online ahead of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 10 December.