Patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis experience intense skin irritation and itching, which leads to uncontrolled growth and can also lead to complications such as bacterial skin infections. Recent studies have shown that the exchange of skin microbes between AD patients and their caregivers may be the cause of the transmission and maintenance of AD in these patients.
AS is a common chronic skin disease that affects 15-20% of children. Outbreaks occur due to the dominance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and reduced microbial diversity. Up to 30% to 40% of the human population is asymptomatically colonized with S. aureus, but S. aureus colonization in children with Alzheimer's disease reaches 80% to 100%, including up to 16% who are resistant to methicillin, which complicates clinical management. .
The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Dr Elizabeth Tham of the Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Dr Chia Minghao of the Genome Institute Singapore (GIS ) from A*STAR was published by scientists from both institutions and A*STAR Skin Research Laboratories (A*SRL).
The study aimed to understand the skin microbiomes shared by children with AD and their parents or caregivers. The team recruited 30 children with moderate to severe AD, aged 0 to 10 years, and a healthy primary caregiver for each child. The primary caregiver must be someone who lives in the same household as the child and has spent at least 8 hours a day with the child for the past 6 months.
Skin samples were taken from undamaged skin at common sites, such as the forearms, cheeks, and elbows of B. children and their primary caregivers, as well as from damaged skin of AD patients.
Healthy caregivers were found to have similar microbial signatures to the uninjured skin of children with Alzheimer's, even though the caregivers did not have the skin disease.
In particular, a higher percentage frequency of S. aureus compared to commensal Staphylococcus hominis (A/H ratio) was found to be a sensitive and specific marker of household AD in otherwise healthy adults or children. . This implies that the constant exchange of skin microbes between children with AD and their caregivers may increase the tendency of S. aureus strains to recolonize the child, thus increasing skin inflammation.
The study results also suggest that a contributing factor to treatment failure may be the exchange of skin microbes between children with AD and their close contacts. S. aureus often rapidly recolonizes the skin of AD patients after discontinuation of treatment, which may contribute to disease relapse.
Therefore, a cure for Alzheimer's disease would require a multifaceted approach that includes existing measures such as adequate skin hydration, aggressive treatment of persistent inflammation, and eradication of pathogenic bacteria, but most importantly, possible extension of preventive measures to close household contacts. to break the transmission chain. .
Being one of the leaders of the research, Dr. Dije: "His research has shown that there is more to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease than treating the symptoms of a flare, rather than a temporary solution. The transmission of the microbiota Skin disease between people in close contact is poorly understood in the field of Alzheimer's disease.This highlights that future therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease may involve the chain of transmission, which may require an extension of close contacts to break the infection.
Dr. Chia Minghao, Principal Investigator for GIS at A*STAR and co-director of the study, added, "Their research is a promising step toward better understanding how to treat skin conditions like AD and better understand the microbes on our skin." ". The research could bring us closer to eradicating the pathogenic microbes that cause painful skin inflammation and bring much-needed relief to people with a range of skin conditions, in addition to Alzheimer's disease.
For more information: Minghao Chia et al., Common signatures and divergence in the skin microbiomes of children with atopic dermatitis and their caregivers, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.01.031Citation: Sharing of skin microbiomes between children with atopic dermatitis and healthy contacts may contribute to relapse (September 15, 2022). neurodermatitis.html
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