The closed eye harbours a unique microbiome in dry eye disease

Dry eye affects millions of individuals. In experimental models, dry eye disease is associated with T helper cell 17-mediated inflammation of the ocular surface that may cause persistent damage to the corneal epithelium. However, the initiating and perpetuating factors associated with chronic inflam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2020-07, Vol.10 (1), p.12035-12035, Article 12035
Main Authors: Willis, Kent A., Postnikoff, Cameron K., Freeman, Amelia, Rezonzew, Gabriel, Nichols, Kelly, Gaggar, Amit, Lal, Charitharth V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/855
692/699/3161
Adult
Case-Control Studies
Commensals
Cornea
Dry Eye Syndromes - diagnosis
Dry Eye Syndromes - etiology
Epithelium
Eye
Eye care products
Eye diseases
Female
Helper cells
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Inflammation
Lymphocytes T
Machine Learning
Male
Metagenomics - methods
Microbiomes
Microbiota
Middle Aged
multidisciplinary
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
rRNA 16S
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sleep
Tears
Tears - microbiology
Trauma Severity Indices
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Summary:Dry eye affects millions of individuals. In experimental models, dry eye disease is associated with T helper cell 17-mediated inflammation of the ocular surface that may cause persistent damage to the corneal epithelium. However, the initiating and perpetuating factors associated with chronic inflammation of the ocular surface remain unclear. The ocular microbiota alters ocular surface inflammation and may influence dry eye disease development and progression. Here, we collected serial samples of tears on awakening from sleep, closed eye tears, during a randomized clinical trial of a non-pharmaceutical dry eye therapy and used 16S rRNA metabarcoding to characterize the microbiome. We show the closed dry eye microbiome is distinct from the healthy closed eye microbiome, and that the microbiome remains distinct despite daily saline eye wash upon awakening. The ocular microbiome was described only recently, and this report implicates a distinct microbiome in ocular disease development. Our findings suggest an interplay between microbial commensals and inflammation on the ocular surface. This information may inform future studies of the pathophysiological mechanisms of dry eye disease.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-68952-w