Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Lehnen, A.
Stability and dynamics of the healthy skin microbiome - A longitudinal observational study over two years
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2023. pp. 94
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Mahnert Alexander
- Moissl-Eichinger Christine
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- The skin microbiome, consisting of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes has been increasingly researched for several years. Particularly for bacteria and fungi, studies have identified taxa that typically colonise the skin at various body sites. Both internal and external factors can lead to shifts in the composition of the skin microbiome, which could play a relevant role in the pathophysiology of certain skin diseases. In our study, the skin microbiome as well as important skin physiological parameters of 12 individuals with healthy skin (age groups B1: 20-40 years, B2: 60-80 years) were examined on four body sites each over six time points within two years and compared regarding various demographic and lifestyle factors. In this thesis I focus on the bacterial and fungal data, as the evaluation of the archaeal microbiome takes place in the context of another thesis. The collected data and results will also be used to compare the skin microbiome of healthy people with that of people suffering from psoriasis, and ideally to gain new insights as a basis for further studies on the pathophysiology of this skin disease. The most common genera were Cutibacterium, Burkholderia, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Streptococcus and Malassezia. A significant influence of BMI, skin hygiene, season and body site on the composition of the skin microbiome was identified. There was also a significant interpersonal variability in the skin microbiome. The two targeted age groups and sexes had typical microbiota, but diversity was not significantly affected by these metadata categories. There was a significantly higher skin pH and lower transepidermal water loss in the older, female subjects. In addition, samples from the summer months were characterised by higher skin moisture than those from winter. The most common taxa in our study, as well as their abundance with respect to various metadata, were mostly consistent with those in the literature. Overall, mainly external, dynamic factors showed an influence on the skin microbiome and further research on larger cohorts and in connection with the gut-skin axis is needed to ideally gain new insights as a basis for further studies on the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory skin diseases.