Microbiome and Ocular Inflammatory Disease

引起眼部炎症发作的原因尚不清楚，但微生物群可能是一个增强因素。随着新技术的出现，对微生物组的研究越来越多，但这些还没有应用于葡萄膜炎。我们希望评估患有眼部炎症性疾病的患者的微生物组组成：葡萄膜炎和年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD），这些患者可能有近期发病的未经治疗的疾病或正在接受标准治疗。本研究共纳入65名受试者。参赛者必须年满18岁。由加州大学洛杉矶分校的Jonathan Braun博士建立的健康志愿者现有对照人群的微生物组样本将被用作本研究参与者微生物组样本的比较。来自NEI现有健康志愿者对照人群的外周血样本将用于与本研究参与者的外周血样本进行比较。

What precipitates ocular inflammatory episodes remains unknown, but a possible potentiating factor is the microbiome. The microbiome has become increasingly studied with the advent of new techniques, but these have not been applied to uveitis. We wish to evaluate microbiome composition in patients with the ocular inflammatory diseases: uveitis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who may have a recent onset untreated disease or be on standard therapy. A total of 65 participants will be enrolled in this study. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Microbiome samples from an existing control population of healthy volunteers established by Dr. Jonathan Braun of UCLA will be used as a comparison for the microbiome samples obtained from the participants in this study. Peripheral blood samples from an existing control population of healthy volunteers established at the NEI will be used as a comparison for the peripheral blood samples obtained from the participants in this study. This is an observational, cross-sectional, single-center study. Participants will receive a complete ocular examination with clinical testing as determined clinically and will undergo an anoscopy for collection of rectal fluid specimens or will submit a stool sample. The outcomes will be related to the comparison of the various microbiome samples to controls and between groups. In addition, comparisons will be made to these findings and the immunome.