Microbiome, Microorganisms and Skin

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 7700

Special Issue Editor

1. Department of Dermatovenereology, University Hospital Centre Sestre Milosrdnice, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
2. School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: skin; dermatology; eczema; dermatitis; urticaria; allergy; psychoneuroimmunology; inflammation; multidisciplinary; COVID-19
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is growing evidence that skin microbiome composition impacts the course of various dermatological diseases, yet further research in this field is needed. The term “microbiome” encompasses all microorganisms (microbiota) in the body, their genomes, and environmental factors, which play an important role in health and disease. Since the skin harbors numerous bacteria, changes in skin microbiota composition (dysbiosis) functionality may trigger immune dysregulation and an inflammatory response. The skin microbiome was studied in relation to various conditions including atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, hidradenitis suppurativa, chronic ulcers, burns, and others. Most bacteria species (microbiota) on the skin belong to the Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria phyla, and four main genera: Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. The skin microbiome (microbiota) exhibits a spatial distribution associated with the microenvironment (sebaceous, moist, and dry areas) and its structural composition may be influenced by personal hygiene, immune status or the presence of skin diseases. Different microorganisms (microbiotas) may act in a coordinated way to decisively influence health/disease conditions. Since standard, culture-dependent methods detect fewer than 1% of all bacterial species, a metagenomics approach can be used to detect bacteria that cannot be cultivated. Studies on the possible association between dysbiosis and skin diseases could improve the understanding of disease development, diagnostics and therapeutics. In the future, microbiota modulation (e.g., with probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics) could contribute to the design/development of more effective therapies.

Related publications in Life:

1. Salivary Microbiota Is Significantly Less Diverse in Patients with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Compared to Healthy Controls: Preliminary Results
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/12/1329
2. Features of the Skin Microbiota in Common Inflammatory Skin Diseases
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/11/9/962

Prof. Dr. Liborija Lugovic-Mihic
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • microbiome
  • skin
  • microorganisms
  • microbiota
  • skin inflammation
  • skin diseases
  • healthy skin
  • probiotics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1552 KiB  
Article
Association of Gut Lachnospiraceae and Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria
by Diana Ćesić, Liborija Lugović Mihić, Petar Ozretić, Ivana Lojkić, Marija Buljan, Mirna Šitum, Mario Zovak, Dinko Vidović, August Mijić, Nada Galić and Arjana Tambić Andrašević
Life 2023, 13(6), 1280; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061280 - 30 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2146
Abstract
(1) Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) has been linked to the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Furthermore, various studies have highlighted the anti-inflammatory properties of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), whose production is primarily regulated by the gut microbiota. However, only a few studies [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) has been linked to the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Furthermore, various studies have highlighted the anti-inflammatory properties of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), whose production is primarily regulated by the gut microbiota. However, only a few studies have investigated the role of major SCFA producers, such as Lachnospiraceae, in skin inflammatory diseases. (2) Goal: This study aimed to compare the abundance of Lachnospiraceae between CSU patients and healthy controls (HCs). (3) Material and methods: In this case–control study, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to compare the composition of the gut microbiome between 22 CSU patients and 23 HCs. (4) Results: Beta-diversity revealed significant clustering (p < 0.05) between the CSU patients and HCs. Alpha diversity in the CSU group was significantly decreased according to the Evenness index (p < 0.05). The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) identified the significant depletion of the Lachnospiraceae family in CSU patients. (5) Conclusion: Our study revealed the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in CSU patients, including decreased levels of Lachnospiraceae members, responsible for SCFA production, suggesting that SCFAs may contribute to immune dysfunction in the pathogenesis of CSU. We speculate that the modulation of SCFAs could serve as a prospective additional option in CSU treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome, Microorganisms and Skin)
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25 pages, 8893 KiB  
Article
In Silico Subtractive Proteomics and Molecular Docking Approaches for the Identification of Novel Inhibitors against Streptococcus pneumoniae Strain D39
by Ashwag Shami, Nada K. Alharbi, Fatimah A. Al-Saeed, Aiman A. Alsaegh, Khalid M. Al Syaad, Ibrahim H. A. Abd El-Rahim, Yasser Sabry Mostafa and Ahmed Ezzat Ahmed
Life 2023, 13(5), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13051128 - 04 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2011
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a notorious Gram-positive pathogen present asymptomatically in the nasophayrnx of humans. According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O), pneumococcus causes approximately one million deaths yearly. Antibiotic resistance in S. pneumoniae is raising considerable concern around the world. There is an [...] Read more.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a notorious Gram-positive pathogen present asymptomatically in the nasophayrnx of humans. According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O), pneumococcus causes approximately one million deaths yearly. Antibiotic resistance in S. pneumoniae is raising considerable concern around the world. There is an immediate need to address the major issues that have arisen as a result of persistent infections caused by S. pneumoniae. In the present study, subtractive proteomics was used in which the entire proteome of the pathogen consisting of 1947 proteins is effectively decreased to a finite number of possible targets. Various kinds of bioinformatics tools and software were applied for the discovery of novel inhibitors. The CD-HIT analysis revealed 1887 non-redundant sequences from the entire proteome. These non-redundant proteins were submitted to the BLASTp against the human proteome and 1423 proteins were screened as non-homologous. Further, databases of essential genes (DEGG) and J browser identified almost 171 essential proteins. Moreover, non-homologous, essential proteins were subjected in KEGG Pathway Database which shortlisted six unique proteins. In addition, the subcellular localization of these unique proteins was checked and cytoplasmic proteins were chosen for the druggability analysis, which resulted in three proteins, namely DNA binding response regulator (SPD_1085), UDP-N-acetylmuramate—L-alanine Ligase (SPD_1349) and RNA polymerase sigma factor (SPD_0958), which can act as a promising potent drug candidate to limit the toxicity caused by S. pneumoniae. The 3D structures of these proteins were predicted by Swiss Model, utilizing the homology modeling approach. Later, molecular docking by PyRx software 0.8 version was used to screen a library of phytochemicals retrieved from PubChem and ZINC databases and already approved drugs from DrugBank database against novel druggable targets to check their binding affinity with receptor proteins. The top two molecules from each receptor protein were selected based on the binding affinity, RMSD value, and the highest conformation. Finally, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) analyses were carried out by utilizing the SWISS ADME and Protox tools. This research supported the discovery of cost-effective drugs against S. pneumoniae. However, more in vivo/in vitro research should be conducted on these targets to investigate their pharmacological efficacy and their function as efficient inhibitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome, Microorganisms and Skin)
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12 pages, 1093 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Types of Skin Lesions and Diseases in Everyday Infectious Disease Practice—How Experienced Are We?
by Tomislava Skuhala, Vladimir Trkulja, Marin Rimac, Anja Dragobratović and Boško Desnica
Life 2022, 12(7), 978; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12070978 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1907
Abstract
Rashes and skin lesions are a common reason for patient visits to emergency departments and physicians’ offices. The differential diagnosis includes a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases, some of which can be life-threatening. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate [...] Read more.
Rashes and skin lesions are a common reason for patient visits to emergency departments and physicians’ offices. The differential diagnosis includes a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases, some of which can be life-threatening. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the quantity and type of skin lesions among outpatients and inpatients at a tertiary care university-affiliated teaching hospital for infectious diseases over a three-year period to assess disease burden and physicians’ experience in diagnosing skin lesions. Diagnoses (by ICD-10 codes) were classified into three groups: infectious diseases that include skin lesions, non-infectious skin lesions and undiagnosed skin lesions. During the observed period, out of the total of 142,416 outpatients, 14.8% presented with some form of skin lesion. Among them, 68% had skin lesions inherent to infectious disease, 10.8% suffered from non-infectious skin lesions and 21.2% remained with undiagnosed skin lesions. The most common infectious diagnoses were chickenpox, herpes zoster and unspecified viral infections characterized by skin and mucous membrane lesions. The most common non-infectious diagnoses were urticaria and atopic dermatitis. Overall, the most common individual diagnosis (ICD-10 code) was “nonspecific skin eruption” (n = 4448, 21.1%), which was followed by chickenpox and herpes zoster. Among the 17,401 patients hospitalized over the observed period, 13.1% had skin lesion as the main reason for hospitalization, almost all (97.5%) of which were infectious in etiology. The most common diagnoses were cellulitis, erysipelas and herpes zoster. The presented data suggest that the burden of diseases presenting with skin lesions is significant in everyday infectious disease practice, but the overwhelming number of undiagnosed patients implies the need for further education in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome, Microorganisms and Skin)
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