Microbial biofilms and the human skin microbiome

Abstract

The human skin microbiome plays an important role in both health and disease. Microbial biofilms are a well-characterized mode of surface-associated growth, which present community-like behaviors. Additionally, biofilms are a critical element in certain skin diseases. We review how the perception of the resident skin microbiota has evolved from the early linkages of certain microbes to disease states, to a more comprehensive and intricate understanding brought on by biofilm and microbiome revelations. Rapidly expanding arsenals of experimental methods are opening new horizons in the study of human–microbe and microbe–microbe interactions. Microbial community profiling has largely remained a separate discipline from that of biofilm research, yet the introduction of metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, and the ability to distinguish between dormant and active members of a community have all paved the road toward a convergent cognizance of the encounter between these two microbial disciplines.

The role of the skin microbiota in acne pathophysiology

“…). Furthermore, it has been shown that interactions between C. acnes and other bacteria, for example S. epidermis , are important for skin health …”

“…One form of intramicrobial communication is robust quorum sensing and establishment of biofilms. Biofilm formation is critical in skin disease, where precise microbe–microbe network‐based inputs present differential physiological signalling, rendering biofilms untreatable and antibiotic‐resistant . It has been shown that C. acnes form biofilms in follicles in some patients with acne, leading to the hypothesis that an enriched presence and biofilm‐based activity of C. acnes lead to homeostatic imbalance of the microbiota.…”

“…It has been shown that C. acnes form biofilms in follicles in some patients with acne, leading to the hypothesis that an enriched presence and biofilm‐based activity of C. acnes lead to homeostatic imbalance of the microbiota. It has also been speculated that the biofilm is a ‘biological glue’ that brings keratinocytes together to create an environment conducive to comedone development . Unfortunately, genomic approaches alone are unable to define the presence of bacterial biofilms or the role of microbe–microbe interactions and communication.…”

“…Biofilm formation is critical in skin disease, where precise microbe-microbe network-based inputs present differential physiological signalling, rendering biofilms untreatable and antibioticresistant. [24][25][26] It has been shown that C. acnes form biofilms in follicles in some patients with acne, 27 leading to the hypothesis that an enriched presence and biofilm-based activity of C. acnes lead to homeostatic imbalance of the microbiota. It has also been speculated that the biofilm is a 'biological glue' that brings keratinocytes together to create an environment conducive to comedone development.…”

Exploring the microbiome in health and disease

“…Classical microbiological and dermatological studies have reproducibly pointed to the strong association between P. acnes and acne vulgaris, 352 between S. aureus and atopic dermatitis, and between Malassezia species and seborrheic dermatitis. 86,352 The advent of NGS technology, as applied to research on the microbial communities of the skin, has led to further information about the microbial biofilm nature of certain skin diseases that were difficult to analyze using classical microbial techniques. In atopic dermatitis, for example, a decrease in microbial diversity was discovered in the lesions.…”