Temporal Stability and Composition of the Ocular Surface Microbiome.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Ophthalmology
• Genomics

Background:

• The ocular surface microbiome's composition and stability are not fully understood.
• Investigating a core ocular microbiome is crucial for understanding ocular health and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a core ocular surface microbiome exists in healthy individuals.
• To assess microbial community changes on the ocular surface over a three-month period.

Main Methods:

• Conjunctival samples from 45 healthy subjects were collected at three time points over three months.
• Both culture-dependent and culture-independent (sequencing) methods were employed.
• A statistical model was used to remove contaminant taxa identified in negative controls.

Main Results:

• Low microbial biomass was detected on the ocular surface using both methods.
• No single microbial species or taxon was found in all subjects at all time points.
• Corynebacterium was the most frequently detected taxon (11.1%) after contaminant removal.
• 26 taxa, including Corynebacterium and Streptococcus, were consistently present across subjects over time.
• The ocular surface exhibited low microbial diversity.

Conclusions:

• The ocular surface does not appear to harbor a substantial core microbiome common to all individuals.
• Consistently present taxa suggest the potential existence of individual-specific core microbiomes.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the dynamics and significance of the ocular surface microbiome.