ArticleGenome medicine2014
The conjunctival microbiome in health and trachomatous disease: a case control study.
Article in Genome medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
110 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 194 citations in OpenAlex.
- Human microbiota research in Africa: a systematic review reveals gaps and priorities for future research.Microbiome · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of gut microbiome and ocular inflammatory diseases: Are they associated?Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2021Pooled it
- Ocular Microbiota and Intraocular Inflammation.Frontiers in immunology · 2020Pooled it
- Potential role of the ocular surface microbiome in dry eye: microbial interactions and symptom alleviation.mSystems · 2026Trial
- The Effect of Topical Anesthetics on 16S Ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid Amplicon Sequencing Results in Ocular Surface Microbiome Research.Translational vision science & technology · 2022Trial
- Azithromycin therapy during respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: Upper airway microbiome alterations and subsequent recurrent wheeze.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2016Trial
- An Update and Overview of the Ocular and Extraocular Microbiome and Its Impact on Ophthalmic Care.Advances in therapy · 2026Review
- Ocular community state types reveal distinct microbial compositions among microbiomes with implications for trachoma control.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Role of microbiome in ocular surface disease: interpreting biology in a low-biomass environment.Current opinion in ophthalmology · 2026Review
- Profiling of ocular surface microbiome and its ocular types in children and adolescents.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Integrative analysis of the meibum microbiome in dry eye disease: from dysbiosis and diagnostic biomarkers to immunomodulation by Bradyrhizobium-derived outer membrane vesicles.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Characterization of the aqueous humor microbiome in Posner-Schlossman syndrome: an exploratory metagenomic sequencing study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Impact of innate immune factors on the persistence of Staphylococcus aureus in the ocular environment.Experimental eye research · 2025Article
- Exploring the ocular microecology and its role in pterygium based on metagenomics.Microbiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Association Between Ocular Microbiomes of Children and Their Siblings and Parents.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Observational
- The Ocular Surface Microbiome in Homeostasis and Dysbiosis.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Review
- Microbial Interconnections in One Health: A Critical Nexus Between Companion Animals and Human Microbiomes.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Overview of Microorganisms: Bacterial Microbiome, Mycobiome, Virome Identified Using Next-Generation Sequencing, and Their Application to Ophthalmic Diseases.Microorganisms · 2025Review
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTrachoma, caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, remains the world's leading infectious cause of blindness. Repeated ocular infection during childhood leads to scarring of the conjunctiva, in-turning of the eyelashes (trichiasis) and corneal opacity in later life. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest non-chlamydial bacteria are associated with clinical signs of trachoma, independent of C. trachomatis infection.
methodsWe used deep sequencing of the V1-V3 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to characterize the microbiome of the conjunctiva of 220 residents of The Gambia, 105 with healthy conjunctivae and 115 with clinical signs of trachoma in the absence of detectable C. trachomatis infection. Deep sequencing was carried out using the Roche-454 platform. Sequence data were processed and analyzed through a pipeline developed by the Human Microbiome Project.
resultsThe microbiome of healthy participants was influenced by age and season of sample collection with increased richness and diversity seen in younger participants and in samples collected during the dry season. Decreased diversity and an increased abundance of Corynebacterium and Streptococcus were seen in participants with conjunctival scarring compared to normal controls. Abundance of Corynebacterium was higher still in adults with scarring and trichiasis compared to adults with scarring only.
conclusionsOur results indicate that changes in the conjunctival microbiome occur in trachomatous disease; whether these are a cause or a consequence is yet unknown.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.