Implicating Dysbiosis of the Gut Fungal Microbiome in Uveitis, an Inflammatory Disease of the Eye

PURPOSE. In this study, the gut fungal microbiome of uveitis (UVT) patients was generated and compared with healthy controls (HC) to identify dysbiosis in UVT patients and ascertain the role of gut fungal microbiome in disease pathology. METHODS. In the present study, gut fungal microbiomes were analyzed in the fecal samples of HC (n = 24) and UVT patients (n = 14) using high-throughput Illumina sequencing of ITS2 region of the fungal ribosomal RNA. QIIME and R software were used for data analysis. RESULTS. The gut fungal richness and diversity were significantly decreased in UVT patients compared to HC. Our analyses showed enrichment of several pathogenic fungi including Malassezia restricta, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Aspergillus gracilis in UVT patients. Heatmap and discriminatory OTUs further confirmed the disparities between UVT and HC microbiomes. CONCLUSIONS. This is the first study demonstrating dysbiosis in the gut fungal communities of UVT patients indicating the importance of fungal microbiome in the disease pathology. These initial findings might warrant further investigation into the fungal microbiome, especially interactions between fungal and bacterial that then might give further insight into how probiotics or fecal transplants might benefit.