Environmental and skin-nasal microbiome variation in South African children with atopic dermatitis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Atopic dermatitis (AD) in early childhood is associated with microbial dysbiosis. Skin and nasal microbiomes have been linked to AD severity; this relationship has not yet been studied in an African cohort. Here, we aimed to explore how urban and rural stratification, disease severity, and inter-site bacterial overlap shape the skin and nasal microbiomes of South African children with AD.

Methods

Children were recruited from urban Cape Town (CT) and rural Umtata (UM), South Africa. We profiled the skin and nasal microbiomes of 183 children (84 healthy controls and 99 with AD; ages 9-37 months), totaling 462 samples, including both lesional and non-lesional skin sites in children with AD, in a cross-sectional study design. Using 16S rRNA V4-V5 sequencing for its ac

SUBMITTER: Chen Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817727 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature