Arjunan Pachiappan, Swaminathan Radhika
Department of Periodontics, Dental College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
James and Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
J Clin Med. 2022 May 23;11(10):2938. doi: 10.3390/jcm11102938.
Fascinatingly, the immune-privileged healthy eye has a small unique population of microbiota. The human microbiome project led to continuing interest in the ocular microbiome. Typically, ocular microflorae are commensals of low diversity that colonize the external and internal sites of the eye, without instigating any disorders. Ocular commensals modulate immunity and optimally regulate host defense against pathogenic invasion, both on the ocular surface and neuroretina. Yet, any alteration in this symbiotic relationship culminates in the perturbation of ocular homeostasis and shifts the equilibrium toward local or systemic inflammation and, in turn, impaired visual function. A compositional variation in the ocular microbiota is associated with surface disorders such as keratitis, blepharitis, and conjunctivitis. Nevertheless, innovative studies now implicate non-ocular microbial dysbiosis in glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), uveitis, and diabetic retinopathy. Accordingly, prompt identification of the extra-ocular etiology and a methodical understanding of the mechanisms of invasion and host-microbial interaction is of paramount importance for preventative and therapeutic interventions for vision-threatening conditions. This review article aims to explore the current literature evidence to better comprehend the role of oral pathogens in the etiopathogenesis of ocular diseases, specifically AMD.
有趣的是，具有免疫赦免功能的健康眼睛有一小群独特的微生物群。人类微生物组计划引发了人们对眼部微生物组的持续关注。通常，眼部微生物群落是低多样性的共生菌，它们定殖在眼睛的外部和内部部位，不会引发任何疾病。眼部共生菌调节免疫力，并在眼部表面和神经视网膜上最佳地调节宿主对病原体入侵的防御。然而，这种共生关系的任何改变最终都会导致眼部内环境稳态的紊乱，并使平衡向局部或全身炎症转移，进而损害视觉功能。眼部微生物群的组成变化与角膜炎、睑缘炎和结膜炎等表面疾病有关。尽管如此，现在有创新性研究表明青光眼、年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）、葡萄膜炎和糖尿病性视网膜病变与非眼部微生物失调有关。因此，迅速识别眼外病因并系统了解入侵机制以及宿主与微生物的相互作用，对于威胁视力疾病的预防和治疗干预至关重要。这篇综述文章旨在探讨当前的文献证据，以更好地理解口腔病原体在眼部疾病，特别是AMD发病机制中的作用。
