Defining the Functional Consequence of the Human Ocular Microbiome

Corynebacterium bovis is a consistent, resident ocular commensal in healthy human conjunctiva, eliciting IL-17–secreting {gamma}{delta} T cell responses and protective immunity.

• Why it matters: The low-biomass ocular surface has raised doubt about whether a functional core microbiome exists and whether human commensals can drive protective immune programs.
• What they did: Healthy conjunctiva from two geographically distinct human cohorts was profiled by sequencing and culturomics to define a stable core and track C. bovis; mice were colonized with C. bovis strains from Pittsburgh or Miami.
• The result: In humans, C. bovis induced a non-pathogenic response with IL-17 secretion by {gamma}{delta} T cells and circulating C. bovis-specific IgG, and in mice it reproduced this program and protected against ocular infection with Staphylococcus aureus.

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