07 Sep Which Come First? Atopic Dermatitis or Staph Aureus Colonisation?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Alan Irvine
Prof. Alan Irvine DSc
Consultant Dermatologist Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Trinity College Dublin
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The background is that atopic dermatitis (AD) has a close relationship with staphylococcus aureus (SA) colonisation, and this is known to drive flares or exacerbations of AD but before our report it was not known which came first-AD colonisation or atopic dermatitis?
By following a cohort pf patients very carefully over a 1 year period and regularly sampling their skin microbiome we were able to show that SA colonisation did not precede development of AD and in fact that several non SA species of staphylococcus actually appeared to be protective for developing atopic dermatitis.
This is an important new finding in the complex relationship between the microbiome and skin inflammation, suggesting that some commensal bacterial are anti-inflammatory or protective.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: That the cutaneous microbiome is incredibly important in both health and disease with respect to atopic dermatitis.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: We’d like to see our findings replicated in other cohorts. We are also keen to discover what makes some species protective and others pathological.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Skin microbiome prior to development of atopic dermatitis: early colonization with commensal staphylococci at 2 months is associated with a lower risk of atopic dermatitis at 1 year
Publication date: Available online 5 September 2016
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Kennedy, Jennifer Connolly, Jonathan O’B Hourihane, Padraic G. Fallon, WH Irwin McLean, Deirdre Murray, Jay-Hyun Jo, Julia A. Segre, Heidi H. Kong, Alan D. Irvine
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on September 7, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD