Streptococcus mutans is the primary etiological agent of dental caries in man and other
animals. This organism and other related oral streptococci use carbohydrates almost
exclusively as carbon and energy sources, fermenting them primarily to lactic acid which
initiates erosion of tooth surfaces. Investigations over the past decade have shown that the
major uptake mechanism for most carbohydrates in S. mutans is the phosphoenolpyruvate
(PEP)-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS), although non-PTS systems have also�…