Lu Louise J, Liu Ji
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Yale J Biol Med. 2016 Sep 30;89(3):325-330. eCollection 2016 Sep.
The human ocular surface, consisting of the cornea and conjunctiva, is colonized by an expansive, diverse microbial community. Molecular-based methods, such as 16S rRNA sequencing, has allowed for more comprehensive and precise identification of the species composition of the ocular surface microbiota compared to traditional culture-based methods. Evidence suggests that the normal microbiota plays a protective immunological role in preventing the proliferation of pathogenic species and thus, alterations in the homeostatic microbiome may be linked to ophthalmic pathologies. Further investigation of the ocular surface microbiome, as well as the microbiome of other areas of the body such as the oral mucosa and gut, and their role in the pathophysiology of diseases is a significant, emerging field of research, and may someday enable the development of novel probiotic approaches for the treatment and prevention of ophthalmic diseases.
由角膜和结膜组成的人类眼表，定植着一个庞大多样的微生物群落。与传统的基于培养的方法相比，基于分子的方法，如16S rRNA测序，能够更全面、精确地鉴定眼表微生物群的物种组成。有证据表明，正常微生物群在预防致病物种增殖方面发挥着保护性免疫作用，因此，稳态微生物组的改变可能与眼科疾病有关。对眼表微生物组以及身体其他部位（如口腔黏膜和肠道）的微生物组及其在疾病病理生理学中的作用进行进一步研究，是一个重要的新兴研究领域，也许有一天能开发出治疗和预防眼科疾病的新型益生菌方法。
