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Local oral and nasal microbiome diversity in age-related macular degeneration

Jacob Rullo1, Parsa Mehraban Far2, Matthew Quinn2

  • 1Queen's University, Kingston Health Sciences Center, Department of Ophthalmology, 166 Brock Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5G2, Canada. jrullo@qmed.ca.

Scientific Reports
|March 4, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Microbial differences in the nose and mouth were observed in patients with newly diagnosed neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These shifts in oral and nasal microbiota may suggest new links to AMD pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss.
  • Emerging research suggests a connection between mucosal microbes and AMD development.
  • Understanding the oral and nasal microbiota's role in AMD is crucial for novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the nasal and oral microbiota composition in patients with newly diagnosed neovascular AMD and healthy controls.
  • To identify specific microbial differences associated with neovascular AMD.
  • To explore potential mechanistic links between microbiota shifts and AMD pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving patients with newly diagnosed neovascular AMD and disease-free controls.
  • 16S rRNA gene sequencing targeting the V4 variable region (515F-806R) for microbial community analysis.
  • Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) of Bray-Curtis index and comparative analysis using QIIME 2 for distinct microbial characterization.

Main Results:

  • Significant beta diversity was observed between oral and nasal microbial communities (p < 0.001).
  • Distinct microbial compositions were found in both oral and nasal samples between AMD cases and controls.
  • Key oral microbes differing in AMD cases included Burkholderiales, Actinomyceataceae, and Gemella. Significant nasal microbes included Rothia, Actinobacteria, and Propionibacteriales.

Conclusions:

  • Relative shifts in oral and nasal bacterial communities are associated with newly diagnosed neovascular AMD.
  • These microbial alterations may indicate novel mechanistic pathways contributing to AMD pathogenesis.
  • Further research into the gut-retina axis and mucosal immunity in AMD is warranted.

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