Microbiome analysis in a case of ocular MALT lymphoma treated with oral doxycycline

The mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma caused by chronic inflammation or autoimmune reaction in mucosa. Despite its association with chronic inflammation, the driving cause to ocular MALT lymphoma (OML) is not completely known. Chlamydia psittaci is a putative etiologic agent, but its association with the disease is variable. Therefore, in this study, we describe the bacteriome analysis by high-throughput bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing in a case of OML of a patient treated with doxycycline for 21 days. We analyzed swab conjunctival samples collected from both eyes before and after the antibiotic treatment. We identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis the predominance of bacteria of the Neisseriaceae family in OML before doxycycline therapy, suggesting a possible role of this bacteria family in this disease. No adjuvant treatments such as radiation therapy were used. The patient remains in complete remission for more than 18 months of clinical follow-up. These findings suggest that other bacteria families may play a role in ocular MALT pathogenesis.