Distinct Skin Microbiome Features Emerge Before Atopic Disease Onset in Infants

MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Distinct phenotype-specific skin microbiome features emerge before and after atopic disease onset in infants, according to a study published online July 17 in Allergy.Zeyang Shen, Ph.D., from Washington State University in Pullman, and colleagues analyzed more than 1,000 skin swabs from 429 infants using deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing at 2 to 3 months (prediagnosis) and 12 months (postdiagnosis) to examine how early-life skin microbiome contributes to atopic phenotypes. To identify taxonomic and functional features associated with atopic dermatitis (AD), food sensitization (FS), food allergy (FA), their co-occurrence, and FLG mutation status, differential abundance, strain-level, and microbial genome-wide association analyses were performed.The researchers found that microbial signatures differed by co-occurring FA or FS within AD. Staphylococcus epidermidis was enriched in infants with AD alone, while decreased Staphylococcus hominis and Lactococcus species and increased Dermacoccus nishinomiyaensis and Malassezia slooffiae were seen in infants with AD and FA. Early skin dysbiosis characterized by enrichment of Staphylococcus species at 2 to 3 months was associated with later development of AD with FS or FA, but not AD alone. FLG mutation carriers showed additional microbial shifts among infants with AD, including reduced Streptococcus species and increased M. slooffiae. Strain-level analyses revealed mother-infant sharing of AD-associated taxa, and microbial genome-wide association analyses identified species-specific genes linked to AD severity."We actually saw skin microbiome changes in infants who hadn't even been diagnosed with these diseases yet," Shen said in a statement. "That was one of the most exciting findings because those changes could potentially be used as biomarkers to help clinicians diagnose disease earlier."One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Distinct Skin Microbiome Features Emerge Before Atopic Disease Onset in Infants

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