Microbial Ecology of Human Skin in Health and Disease

Fredricks, David N.

doi:10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.00039.x

Cited by 193 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…The microbiota of human skin is unique and complex, and is made up of a mixture of different groups of micro-organisms: facultative anaerobic bacteria, such as Propionibacterium acnes; aerobic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis; and fungi, such as Malassezia furfur (Fredricks, 2001). These micro-organisms are relatively minor members of the flora of other human organs, suggesting that the skin constitutes a front-line defence system with a unique hostparasite relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sequence analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene is one method that can circumvent some of these difficulties (Ward et al, 1990); the 16S rRNA gene is a small-subunit rRNA gene known to display species-specific evolutionary variation of the gene sequence (Nelson et al, 2000). The 16S rRNA gene is present in all known bacteria and its conserved region is suitable for amplification, and thus convenient for identification (Fredricks, 2001). 'Universal' primers for the gene make it possible simultaneously to amplify the genetic regions of mixtures of bacteria, including clusters of yet-tobe-cultured microbial species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Detection of potentially novel bacterial components of the human skin microbiota using culture-independent molecular profiling

Dekio

Hayashi

Sakamoto

et al. 2005

Journal of Medical Microbiology

130

116

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Although the micro-organisms forming the cutaneous microbiota are considered to play important roles in the modification and prevention of skin diseases, a comprehensive analysis of their composition has not yet been carried out because of difficulties in determining yet-to-be-cultured micro-organisms in the samples. Swab-scrubbed forehead skin samples of five healthy volunteers were analysed by profiling 16S rRNA genes, as well as by conventional culture methods, to provide a profile of the cutaneous microbiota that included yet-to-be-cultured bacteria from normal human skin. Cluster analyses of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated a marked increase in diversity compared with that derived from the culture methods. Nineteen previously recognized species and 13 novel phylotypes were obtained from the analysis of 416 clones. In addition to well-known bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes, phylotype A, the 16S rRNA gene of which is 97 % similar to that of Methylophilus methylotrophus, was detected in three of the five samples, in one of which it was the predominant clone. Culture-independent genetic profiling of 16S rRNA genes for detecting human cutaneous microbiota has allowed us to detect potentially novel components of the cutaneous microbiota in humans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of potentially novel bacterial components of the human skin microbiota using culture-independent molecular profiling

Dekio

Hayashi

Sakamoto

et al. 2005

Journal of Medical Microbiology

130

116

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“…Investigators now are using molecular, DNA-based methodologies to assess the microbial populations present in and on human skin (Fredricks, 2001;Paulino et al, 2006Paulino et al, , 2008Gao et al, 2007Gao et al, , 2008Gao et al, , 2010Fierer et al, 2008Fierer et al, , 2010Grice et al, 2008Grice et al, , 2009Costello et al, 2009;Grice and Segre, 2011). However, these studies were all performed in humans who live in developed countries, as does the large-scale National Institute of Health (NIH)-initiated Human Microbiome Project (Peterson et al, 2009), that shares this focus on humans living lifestyles associated with postmodern socioeconomic development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distinct cutaneous bacterial assemblages in a sampling of South American Amerindians and US residents

et al. 2012

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The human skin harbors complex bacterial communities. Prior studies showing high inter-individual variation focused on subjects from developed countries. We therefore compared cutaneous bacterial communities of Amerindians in the Venezuelan Amazon with subjects in the United States. Forearm skin specimens were studied from healthy Amerindians in Platanillal village in Amazonas State, and from healthy persons in New York and Colorado. All skin sampling used similar swab/ buffer techniques. Multiplexed V2-targeted 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing yielded high quality sequences from 112 samples. The results show 20 phyla, with three (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria) predominating. US residents and Venezuelan Amerindians had significantly different forearm skin bacterial community compositions, with United States dominated by Propionibacterium. Among the Amerindians, there was a deep split based on bacterial community membership, with 30 and 42 samples, respectively, falling into each of the two groups, not associated with age, gender, or body mass index. One Amerindian group had diversity similar to the United States, but was dominated by Staphylococcus rather than Propionibacterium. The other Amerindian group was significantly more diverse and even than the US or the other Amerindian group, and featured a broad range of Proteobacteria. The results provide evidence that ethnicity, lifestyle and/or geography are associated with the structure of human cutaneous bacterial communities.

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“…One of the largest humanassociated microbial habitats is the skin, a body habitat with complex regional variations in cellular architecture and environmental exposures, where bacterial density may be as high as 10 7 cells per square centimeter (3). Many of these bacteria are not simply passive or transient colonizers of the skin surface, but rather appear to be adapted to the specific rigors associated with living in different regions of the skin including frequent skin shedding, antimicrobial host defenses, exposure to soaps and detergents during washing, exposure to UV radiation, and low moisture availability (4,5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of sex, handedness, and washing on the diversity of hand surface bacteria

Fierer

Hamady

Lauber

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

987

935

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Bacteria thrive on and within the human body. One of the largest human-associated microbial habitats is the skin surface, which harbors large numbers of bacteria that can have important effects on health. We examined the palmar surfaces of the dominant and nondominant hands of 51 healthy young adult volunteers to characterize bacterial diversity on hands and to assess its variability within and between individuals. We used a novel pyrosequencing-based method that allowed us to survey hand surface bacterial communities at an unprecedented level of detail. The diversity of skin-associated bacterial communities was surprisingly high; a typical hand surface harbored >150 unique species-level bacterial phylotypes, and we identified a total of 4,742 unique phylotypes across all of the hands examined. Although there was a core set of bacterial taxa commonly found on the palm surface, we observed pronounced intra-and interpersonal variation in bacterial community composition: hands from the same individual shared only 17% of their phylotypes, with different individuals sharing only 13%. Women had significantly higher diversity than men, and community composition was significantly affected by handedness, time since last hand washing, and an individual's sex. The variation within and between individuals in microbial ecology illustrated by this study emphasizes the challenges inherent in defining what constitutes a ''healthy'' bacterial community; addressing these challenges will be critical for the International Human Microbiome Project.human microbiome ͉ pyrosequencing ͉ skin bacteria

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Microbial Ecology of Human Skin in Health and Disease

Cited by 193 publications

References 16 publications

Detection of potentially novel bacterial components of the human skin microbiota using culture-independent molecular profiling

Detection of potentially novel bacterial components of the human skin microbiota using culture-independent molecular profiling

Distinct cutaneous bacterial assemblages in a sampling of South American Amerindians and US residents

The influence of sex, handedness, and washing on the diversity of hand surface bacteria

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