Modelling the Corneal Microbiome in Microbial Keratitis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Modelling the Corneal Microbiome to improve identification of Pathogenic Microorganisms
IRAS ID
239466
Contact name
S.B. Kaye
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Liverpool University Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Microbial keratitis (MK) is an infection of the cornea (the transparent front part of the eye) that may lead to blindness. It is important to identify the tiny bacteria type organisms (microorganisms) causing the infection, but collecting samples from the cornea is difficult and needs special equipment. We have developed a new method to obtain these samples using a 'corneal impression membrane (CIM)'. This is a small piece of paper (membrane) that is placed on the infected area of cornea. The technique is easy to perform and we have shown that it increases chances of identifying the cause of the infection.
At present, we rely on identifying the microorganisms by trying to grow the bacteria (culture). This can be slow and microorganisms can be difficult to pick up if present in low quantities. The DNA of the suspected microorganisms can also be amplified using a technique known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Both techniques are restricted to identifying only known suspected microorganisms. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a new type of testing that can identify microorganisms we don’t yet know that may be causing the infection. This type of testing can pick up very low quantities of microorganisms and therefore may pick up microorganisms that naturally live on the front surface of the eye but are not responsible for causing the infection.
As it is very simple, the new CIM method can be used to sample both the affected and unaffected eyes of patients with MK as well as eyes of healthy patients. This project will use the “CIM” to examine the ‘corneal microbiome’, the microorganisms that may naturally live on the front surface of the cornea, in healthy eyes and in MK. “CIM” samples from healthy and diseased eyes will be tested and compared using culture, PCR and NGS.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0760
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion