The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques
Abstract Background The ocular surface microbiota (OSM) is important for eye health, and variations in OSM composition have been associated with multiple diseases in humans. Studies of OSM-disease dynamics in humans are confounded by lifestyle factors. Animal models provide a complementary approach...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Animal Microbiome |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-025-00454-4 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849225950299947008 |
|---|---|
| author | Joelle K. Hass Arthur G. Fernandes Michael J. Montague Armando Burgos-Rodriguez Melween I. Martinez Lauren J. N. Brent Noah Snyder-Mackler John Danias Gadi Wollstein James P. Higham Amanda D. Melin |
| author_facet | Joelle K. Hass Arthur G. Fernandes Michael J. Montague Armando Burgos-Rodriguez Melween I. Martinez Lauren J. N. Brent Noah Snyder-Mackler John Danias Gadi Wollstein James P. Higham Amanda D. Melin |
| author_sort | Joelle K. Hass |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The ocular surface microbiota (OSM) is important for eye health, and variations in OSM composition have been associated with multiple diseases in humans. Studies of OSM-disease dynamics in humans are confounded by lifestyle factors. Animal models provide a complementary approach to understanding biological systems, free from many confounds of human studies. Here, we provide the first study of the OSM of rhesus macaques, a premier animal model for eye health and disease. We describe the taxonomy of the rhesus macaque OSM, and explore compositional correlations with age, sex, and living condition. Methods We analyzed eyelid and conjunctival microbiota swabs from 132 individual rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) (57 males, 75 females, 1–26 years old) from one captive and one free-ranging group using 16 S rRNA V3/V4 MiSeq sequencing. We investigated alpha diversity, beta diversity, and differential abundance. Results We found several similarities between the top Phyla and Genera of the rhesus macaque OSM and those reported in human literature. Significantly higher alpha diversity, which may reflect age-related ocular surface mucous membrane integrity and immune function, was present in younger individuals compared to older ones. Higher alpha diversity was also present in free-ranging rhesus macaques compared to ones in captivity, possibly related to differences in diet, exercise, and medical exposures between macaques in different living conditions. Beta diversity was most strongly influenced by individual identity, followed by living conditions. Sex did not correlate with any OSM variation. Conclusions In this study we describe the taxonomic composition of the rhesus macaque OSM, and identify significant differences in alpha and beta diversity according to individual nonhuman primate host variables and the surrounding environment. Our findings suggest composition of the nonhuman primate OSM is shaped by age-related physiology, individual identity, and external living conditions. Our results offer novel insights into an underexplored region of the primate microbiome and highlight the utility of rhesus macaques as a model system for investigating the links between the OSM, ocular health, and disease. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3fd33dae3d94b99831598ed9b65488f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2524-4671 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animal Microbiome |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3fd33dae3d94b99831598ed9b65488f2025-08-24T11:52:59ZengBMCAnimal Microbiome2524-46712025-08-017111210.1186/s42523-025-00454-4The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaquesJoelle K. Hass0Arthur G. Fernandes1Michael J. Montague2Armando Burgos-Rodriguez3Melween I. Martinez4Lauren J. N. Brent5Noah Snyder-Mackler6John Danias7Gadi Wollstein8James P. Higham9Amanda D. Melin10Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of CalgaryDepartment of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of CalgaryDepartment of Neuroscience, University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Puerto Rico (Caribbean Primate Research Center)University of Puerto Rico (Caribbean Primate Research Center)University of Exeter (Center for Research in Animal Behavior)School of Life Sciences, Arizona State UniversityDepartment of Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityWills Eye HospitalDepartment of Anthropology, New York University College of Arts & ScienceDepartment of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of CalgaryAbstract Background The ocular surface microbiota (OSM) is important for eye health, and variations in OSM composition have been associated with multiple diseases in humans. Studies of OSM-disease dynamics in humans are confounded by lifestyle factors. Animal models provide a complementary approach to understanding biological systems, free from many confounds of human studies. Here, we provide the first study of the OSM of rhesus macaques, a premier animal model for eye health and disease. We describe the taxonomy of the rhesus macaque OSM, and explore compositional correlations with age, sex, and living condition. Methods We analyzed eyelid and conjunctival microbiota swabs from 132 individual rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) (57 males, 75 females, 1–26 years old) from one captive and one free-ranging group using 16 S rRNA V3/V4 MiSeq sequencing. We investigated alpha diversity, beta diversity, and differential abundance. Results We found several similarities between the top Phyla and Genera of the rhesus macaque OSM and those reported in human literature. Significantly higher alpha diversity, which may reflect age-related ocular surface mucous membrane integrity and immune function, was present in younger individuals compared to older ones. Higher alpha diversity was also present in free-ranging rhesus macaques compared to ones in captivity, possibly related to differences in diet, exercise, and medical exposures between macaques in different living conditions. Beta diversity was most strongly influenced by individual identity, followed by living conditions. Sex did not correlate with any OSM variation. Conclusions In this study we describe the taxonomic composition of the rhesus macaque OSM, and identify significant differences in alpha and beta diversity according to individual nonhuman primate host variables and the surrounding environment. Our findings suggest composition of the nonhuman primate OSM is shaped by age-related physiology, individual identity, and external living conditions. Our results offer novel insights into an underexplored region of the primate microbiome and highlight the utility of rhesus macaques as a model system for investigating the links between the OSM, ocular health, and disease.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-025-00454-4Eye microbiomeNonhuman primatesMiSeq16SAmplicon sequencing |
| spellingShingle | Joelle K. Hass Arthur G. Fernandes Michael J. Montague Armando Burgos-Rodriguez Melween I. Martinez Lauren J. N. Brent Noah Snyder-Mackler John Danias Gadi Wollstein James P. Higham Amanda D. Melin The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques Animal Microbiome Eye microbiome Nonhuman primates MiSeq 16S Amplicon sequencing |
| title | The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| title_full | The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| title_fullStr | The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| title_short | The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| title_sort | ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques |
| topic | Eye microbiome Nonhuman primates MiSeq 16S Amplicon sequencing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-025-00454-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joellekhass theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT arthurgfernandes theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT michaeljmontague theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT armandoburgosrodriguez theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT melweenimartinez theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT laurenjnbrent theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT noahsnydermackler theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT johndanias theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT gadiwollstein theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT jamesphigham theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT amandadmelin theocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT joellekhass ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT arthurgfernandes ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT michaeljmontague ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT armandoburgosrodriguez ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT melweenimartinez ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT laurenjnbrent ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT noahsnydermackler ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT johndanias ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT gadiwollstein ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT jamesphigham ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques AT amandadmelin ocularsurfacemicrobiomeofrhesusmacaques |