Human_tear_fluid_microbiota Raw sequence reads

This BioProject explores the microbial composition of human tear fluid in individuals affected by Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG), a neurodegenerative eye disease and a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Through high-resolution 16S rRNA gene sequencing of tear samples, the study aims to characterize the ocular surface microbiota and assess potential dysbiosis associated with POAG.Tear samples from adult patients diagnosed with POAG and matched healthy controls were collected at ophthalmology clinics in Valencia, Spain. Samples were processed and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq technology to obtain raw sequence reads covering the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using the QIIME2 pipeline and included diversity metrics, differential abundance testing, and taxonomic classification using the SILVA reference database.Preliminary results revealed that while alpha diversity (within-sample richness) showed no statistically significant differences between groups, beta diversity (between-sample composition) demonstrated distinct microbial community structures in POAG patients. Several bacterial phyla - particularly Fusobacteriota, Planctomycetota, and Synergistota - were significantly more abundant in the POAG group. At the genus level, 23 bacterial genera exhibited differential abundance, suggesting microbiological shifts associated with glaucomatous pathology.These findings contribute to the growing field of ocular microbiome research, highlighting the potential involvement of microbial communities in inflammatory and immune pathways that may influence glaucoma progression. The project supports the hypothesis of an ocular dysbiosis in POAG and opens new avenues for microbiota-based therapeutic strategies, including probiotics and postbiotics, as adjuncts to traditional glaucoma treatment.The dataset includes raw sequence reads from tear fluid metagenomes and is intended to support further investigations into the gut-eye axis and microbial biomarkers for ocular health. This BioProject represents one of the first tear microbiota characterizations in glaucoma patients and aims to promote greater understanding of microbial dynamics at the ocular surface.