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Temporal Stability of the Human Skin Microbiome
Julia Oh1, Allyson L Byrd2, Morgan Park3
1Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Cell
|May 7, 2016
Summary
The human skin microbiome, encompassing bacteria, fungi, and viruses, remains remarkably stable over time, influenced by body site and individual factors. Individuals tend to maintain their own microbes rather than constantly reacquiring them.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Microbiome Research
- Ecology
Background:
- The human skin microbiome's composition is influenced by biogeographical factors and host individuality.
- Understanding the stability of these microbial communities is crucial for deciphering host-microbe interactions and health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of the human skin microbiome (bacterial, fungal, and viral communities) over extended periods (months to years).
- To determine the roles of body site, host individuality, and phylogeny in shaping skin microbial community stability.
Main Methods:
- Generation of metagenomic sequence data from longitudinal skin samples.
- Multi-kingdom, reference-based analysis of bacterial, fungal, and viral communities.
- Strain and single-nucleotide variant-level analysis to assess microbial dynamics.
Main Results:
- Skin microbial communities demonstrated significant stability over time, despite environmental exposure.
- Body site (e.g., foot sites showing more variability), host individuality, and phylogeny were key determinants of stability.
- Eukaryotic viruses exhibited transient colonization patterns with low site-specificity.
- Analysis at the strain and single-nucleotide variant level indicated that individuals maintain their prevalent skin microbes.
Conclusions:
- The human skin microbiome exhibits remarkable longitudinal stability, suggesting robust colonization resistance mechanisms.
- Host individuality plays a significant role in maintaining a persistent skin microbial community.
- Findings support the concept of microbial self-domestication and have implications for clinical studies on disease-associated microbiome alterations.
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