The microbiomes of the eyelid and buccal area of patients with uveitic glaucoma

Abstract

Background: The microbiome could trigger inflammation leading to epigenetic changes and is involved in the pathophysiology of eye diseases; however, its effect on uveitic glaucoma (UG) has not been fully investigated. This study analysed the differences in eyelid and buccal microbiomes in patients with UG using next-generation sequencing. Methods: The eyelid and buccal specimens of 34 UG and 25 control patients were collected. The taxonomic composition of the microbiome was obtained via 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Diversity and differential gene expression analyses (DEG) determined taxon differences between the microbiomes of UG and control groups. Results: In both the eyelid and buccal microbiomes, alpha-diversity was lower in UG patients than controls, while beta-diversity in patients with UG was higher than in controls. DEG analysis of the eyelid microbiome revealed various taxa differences, including enrichment of Paenibacillus and Dermacoccus (p-value, 1.31e(-6) and 1.55e(-7), respectively) and depletion of Morganella and Lactococcus (p-value, 6.26e(-12) and 2.55e(-6), respectively) in patients with UG. In the buccal microbiome, taxa such as Lactococcus was significantly depleted (p-value, 1.31e(-17)), whereas Faecalibacterium was enriched in patients with UG (p-value, 6.12e(-8)). Conclusions: The eyelid and buccal microbiomes in patients with UG differ from controls, which raises concerns surrounding environmental influences on the pathogenesis of UG. The reduced Lactococcus in the eyelid and buccal area suggest that microbiota dysbiosis is associated with UG.