Journal article · Ahead of Print article
Ocular surface microbiota in patients with aqueous tear-deficient dry eye
Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte1
University of Copenhagen2
T-Cells and Cancer, Experimental & Translational Immunology, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark3
Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark4
Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark5
Purpose: An altered ocular surface microbiota may contribute to the pathophysiology of dry eye disease. The aim of the study was to explore potential differences in microbiota diversity and composition in aqueous tear-deficient dry eye (with and without ocular graft-versus-host disease) compared with controls.
Methods: Swab samples from the inferior fornix of the conjunctiva were obtained from patients with aqueous tear-deficient dry eye with and without ocular graft-versus-host disease (n = 18, n = 21, respectively) and controls (n = 28). Isolated bacterial DNA from swabs were analyzed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.
Results: Decreased microbiota diversity was observed in patients with aqueous tear-deficient dry eye (p ≤ 0.003) who also showed a difference in microbiota composition compared with controls (p = 0.001). Although several genera were less abundant in aqueous tear-deficient dry eye, a minimal core ocular surface microbiota comprising five genera was shared by >75% of the study participants: Enhydrobacter, Brevibacterium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Cutibacterium.
Pseudomonas was identified as a bacterial biomarker for controls and Bacilli for patients with aqueous tear-deficient dry eye. Conclusions: Ocular surface microbiota in patients with aqueous tear-deficient dry eye was characterized by an aberrant microbiota composition in comparison to controls, with decreased diversity and reduced relative abundances of several genera.
Additionally, a few genera were present in most of the study population, indicating that a minimal core ocular surface microbiota may exist.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2021 |
| Pages: | 210-217 |
| ISSN: | 19375913 and 15420124 |
| Types: | Journal article and Ahead of Print article |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jtos.2020.09.003 |
| ORCIDs: | 0000-0003-2481-1791 and 0000-0002-3321-3972 |
16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing ADDE Bacilli class Bacterial biomarker Dry eye Ocular surface microbiota
Conjunctiva Dry Eye Syndromes Humans Microbiota RNA, Ribosomal, 16S Tears
