Spatial and Environmental Variation of the Human Hair Microbiota.

ABSTRACT: The skin is a complex living ecosystem harboring diverse microbial communities. Its highly variable properties and influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors creates unique microenvironments where niche-specific microbes thrive. As part of the skin, hair supports its own microbial habitat that is also intra and inter-personal variable. This little explored substrate has significant potential in forensics microbiome research due to the unique signatures that are available on an individual. To further investigate this, we explored the hair microbiota from scalp and pubic regions in healthy adults to investigate how the hair shaft microenvironment varies microbially. Our results suggest that there are distinct differences between the microbial communities identified on hair shafts originati

SUBMITTER: Brinkac L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5997989 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature