THE EFFECTS OF BLOOD GLUCOSE REGULATION ON THE MICROBIOTA OCULAR IN TYPE II DIABETIC SUBJECTS

GIUSEPPE CHISARI, LUIGI RAMPELLO^*, ANTONIO MARIA BORZÌ^**, LAURA MARIA CHISARI, CLARA GRAZIA CHISARI^*

Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Italy - ^*Department of Department of Medical- Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania - ^**Research Center “The Great Senescence”, University of Catania, Italy

The authors studied the effects of blood glucose regulation on the microbiota ocular in type II diabetic subjects. 30 type II dia- betic subjects were considered for at least 2 years and subdivided into three groups A, B and C based on the A1c (HbA1c) glycemic hemoglobin assay. The group “A” includes 10 subjects with HbA1c <7.5%, in the group called “B” there are 10 subjects with the same ocular but with HbA1c range between 7.5 and 9.5 and 10 were included in group C, 10 diabetic subjects with HbA1c> 9.5%. All patients in the three groups were considered the following parameters: Schirmer I test, Schirmer II Test, time to break the tear film (BUT, sec)

and conjunctival buffer for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria research. The cultivation examinations showed a positivity for the tests in group A of 5, group B of 7 and group C of 7 bacteriological examinations. In the group A we found a total of 4 mono micro- bial and 1 poly microbial finds, mono microbial group B 4 and 7 poly microbial, and mono microbial and 3 poly microbial C 3 grou- ps. Our data show that there is a close relationship between the concentration of glucose in the blood and its modification of the ocular microbiota .