The influence of age, gender and race/ethnicity on the composition of the human axillary microbiome

Li, M.; Budding, Andries E.; Lugt-Degen, Malieka van der; Du‐Thumm, Laurence; Vandeven, Mark; Fan, Ao

doi:10.1111/ics.12549

Cited by 37 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Skin bacterial diversity is driven by older infants. In line with previous work on the skin microbiome, samples from infants in both age groups in this study were dominated by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes (29,52,57,65,66,71,72). It is noteworthy that the differences in bacterial diversity across the skin sites are driven by individuals in the older age group (7 to 33 months) compared to the younger age group (0 to 6 months).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Infant Skin Bacterial Communities Vary by Skin Site and Infant Age across Populations in Mexico and the United States

et al. 2020

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Daily practices put humans in close contact with the surrounding environment, and differences in these practices have an impact on human physiology, development, and health. There is mounting evidence that the microbiome represents an interface that mediates interactions between the human body and the environment. In particular, the skin microbiome serves as the primary interface with the external environment and aids in host immune function by contributing as the first line of defense against pathogens. Despite these important connections, we have only a basic understanding of how the skin microbiome is first established, or which environmental factors contribute to its development. To this end, this study compared the skin bacterial communities of infants (n = 47) living in four populations in Mexico and the United States that span the socioeconomic gradient, where we predicted that variation in physical and social environments would shape the infant skin microbiome. Results of 16S rRNA bacterial gene sequencing on 119 samples (armpit, hand, and forehead) showed that infant skin bacterial diversity and composition are shaped by population-level factors, including those related to socioeconomic status and household composition, and vary by skin site and infant age. Differences in infant-environment interactions, including with other people, appear to vary across the populations, likely influencing infant microbial exposures and, in turn, the composition of infant skin bacterial communities. These findings suggest that variation in microbial exposures stemming from the local environment in infancy can impact the establishment of the skin microbiome across body sites, with implications for developmental and health outcomes. IMPORTANCE This study contributes to the sparse literature on the infant skin microbiome in general, and the virtually nonexistent literature on the infant skin microbiome in a field setting. While microbiome research often addresses patterns at a national scale, this study addresses the influence of population-level factors, such as maternal socioeconomic status and contact with caregivers, on infant skin bacterial communities. This approach strengthens our understanding of how local variables influence the infant skin microbiome, and paves the way for additional studies to combine biological sample collection with questionnaires to adequately capture how specific behaviors dictate infant microbial exposures. Work in this realm has implications for infant care and health, as well as for investigating how the microbial communities of different body sites develop over time, with applications to specific health outcomes associated with the skin microbiome (e.g., immune system development or atopic dermatitis).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Infant Skin Bacterial Communities Vary by Skin Site and Infant Age across Populations in Mexico and the United States

et al. 2020

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“…The production of malodor on the underarm skin is primarily attributed to the action of the resident microbiota on odorless natural secretions from the apocrine gland ( 24 ). Corynebacterium is one of the dominant bacterial groups in the armpit microbiota, which has an important role in malodor generation ( 25 ). Furthermore, a previous study revealed that the Anaerococcus species in sweat contributed to axillary odor ( 26 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microecological investigation and comparison of two clinical methods to evaluate axillary osmidrosis

Ding

Gao

et al. 2020

Mol Med Rep

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Axillary osmidrosis (AO) is a common disease that causes patients to develop malodor and occurs worldwide. There is a lack of uniform standards to evaluate the severity of the odor and identify a sensitive and convenient method to determine the therapeutic effect of AO treatments in a clinical setting. In the present study, the association between pH value and disease severity was investigated and the potential pathogenic bacteria and probiotic pathogens of AO were further examined. A total of 32 patients with bilateral AO and 32 normal healthy controls were recruited for the present study. The odor was investigated using the traditional method (TM) and our groups newly developed Lu swab method (LSM) and according to the results, the cases were assigned a score on a 4-point scale. The patients' scores and pH value were recorded. The microbiological compositions of the affected sites were determined using 16S rDNA sequencing. The mean LSM score was higher compared with the mean TM score (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mean axillary pH value was higher in patients with AO compared with that in healthy subjects (P<0.0001), and the mean pH value of patients with high disease severity was higher compared with that in patients with moderate disease severity (P<0.001). In the microecological flora, the proportion of Staphylococcus species on patients with AO was significantly lower compared with that on normal controls (P<0.0001), while the proportion of Corynebacterium and Anaerococcus was significantly higher compared with that on normal controls (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). In conclusion, LSM provided a higher sensitivity for evaluating odor severity than the TM and may be suitable for use in a clinical setting. The pH value was positively associated with AO severity. Staphylococcus may be an appropriate probiotic for the treatment of AO, while Corynebacterium and Anaerococcus may be causative pathogens of AO. The present study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration no. ChiCTR2000037275).

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“…This microbial biotransformation of nutrients secreted in the human axilla undoubtedly leads to the development of odor characteristics and bacterial profiles that are observed. There is also the influence of genetic factors (gender and ethnicity) and behavioral patterns (diet) on the composition of human axillary odor, in addition to individual olfactory sensitivity for certain odorous compounds 12,13 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The knowledge concerning axillary microflora and the differences between groups differentiated by gender, age, and ethnicity are fundamental today for the development of customized deodorant products. Li and colleagues 13 conducted a study on the influence of these characteristics on the axillary microbiome and report that there are significant differences between the species of Corynebacterium found in men and women, and this fact can be used to identify biomarkers for differentiating the microbiome between genders. There is also an increase in the diversity of Corynebacterium in older individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deodorants and antiperspirants: identification of new strategies and perspectives to prevent and control malodor and sweat of the body

et al. 2021

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Excessive sweating and body odors in many cultures can cause negative perceptions of an individual and in many cases is related to poor hygiene. Personal hygiene products have been developed with the intention of preventing these undesirable issues. The aim of this paper is to review the main active ingredients used in marketed deodorant and antiperspirant formulations as well as to identify new strategies and future methods to optimize such products and prevent malodor. PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were used to search for studies reporting the use of deodorants and antiperspirants, the compounds used in the formulations, their mechanisms of action and associated controversies, as well as new trends and approaches in the area. Even today, we are still using well‐known and established actives such as triclosan and aluminum salts, and these are still the most used compounds in deodorants with bactericidal and antiperspirant properties. These substances have been on the market for more than 40 years, and still there are many questions concerning the safety of both actives. There is a general increased interest globally for lifestyles that focus on sustainability and more natural products such as plant sources and the use of, for example, essential oils. The research that focuses in the area of antiperspirants and deodorants is now more focused on studies of the armpit biochemistry and function and control of the microbiota present in this area. Other possible areas of interest are biotechnological solutions and finding new compounds that will interfere with the biochemistry of the process of sweat decomposition. Further approaches include formulations with probiotics which would maintain the balance of axillary microbiota.

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The influence of age, gender and race/ethnicity on the composition of the human axillary microbiome

Cited by 37 publications

References 23 publications

Infant Skin Bacterial Communities Vary by Skin Site and Infant Age across Populations in Mexico and the United States

Infant Skin Bacterial Communities Vary by Skin Site and Infant Age across Populations in Mexico and the United States

Microecological investigation and comparison of two clinical methods to evaluate axillary osmidrosis

Deodorants and antiperspirants: identification of new strategies and perspectives to prevent and control malodor and sweat of the body

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