Kilama Justine, Islam Md Shafinul, Amat Samat
Department of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, 58108, USA.
Anim Microbiome. 2025 Jun 4;7(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s42523-025-00425-9.
Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), or pinkeye, represents a significant economic challenge to dairy and beef cattle industries resulting in decreased productivity and increased treatment costs. The current IBK prevention and control strategies in cattle face challenges owing to the multifactorial nature of the disease, the rise of antibiotic resistance in IBK pathogens, and inconsistent efficacy of IBK vaccines. Recent efforts in metagenomic characterization of the eye microbiome in humans and animals, including cattle, have revealed that the ocular surface is colonized by relatively diverse and dynamic microbial community that is essential for maintaining ocular health and can be leveraged to enhance resistance against infectious ocular diseases. In this narrative review, we provide comprehensive insights into the ocular microbiota by summarizing the amplicon and metagenomic sequencing- and culture-based studies conducted in cattle, and by reviewing relevant findings from humans and other animal species. We also explore the potential of the ocular microbiome as a new frontier in managing IBK. Finally, we examine the gut-eye-microbiome axis and discuss its potential contribution in improving the resistance of cattle against IBK.
传染性牛角膜结膜炎（IBK），即红眼病，对奶牛和肉牛产业构成了重大经济挑战，导致生产力下降和治疗成本增加。由于该疾病具有多因素性质、IBK病原体中抗生素耐药性的上升以及IBK疫苗效力不一致，目前牛群中IBK的预防和控制策略面临挑战。最近对包括牛在内的人类和动物眼部微生物组进行宏基因组表征的研究表明，眼表被相对多样且动态的微生物群落定殖，这对于维持眼部健康至关重要，并且可以利用它来增强对感染性眼病的抵抗力。在这篇叙述性综述中，我们通过总结在牛身上进行的基于扩增子和宏基因组测序以及培养的研究，并回顾来自人类和其他动物物种的相关发现，对眼部微生物群提供全面的见解。我们还探讨了眼部微生物组作为管理IBK新领域的潜力。最后，我们研究了肠道 - 眼睛 - 微生物组轴，并讨论其在提高牛对IBK抵抗力方面的潜在贡献。
