Fig. 6

Atherosclerotic plaque-associated bacteria form biofilm structures within the atherosclerotic plaque samples. During initial phase of biofilm formation, early colonizers—Veillonella, Streptococcus, and Actinomyces—interact to establish an initial microenvironment supporting each other with the help of metabolic products. These bacteria act as a platform for the middle colonizer F. nucleatum, which then completes the biofilm formation by providing an adhering platform for the late colonizers—T. forsythia, A. actinomycetemcomitans, T. denticola, and P. gingivalis