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Skin microbiota in rosacea differs from healthy skin

Individuals with rosacea showed changes from that of healthy skin, indicating that more research is warranted to understand the pathophysiology of the disease, according to findings from a case-control study published in American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.

“Dysregulation of skin microbiota has been associated with a variety of skin disorders including atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis,” Barbara M. Rainer, MD, of the department of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Medical University of Graz, Austria, and colleagues wrote. “This study investigates the differences in the skin microbiota between patients with rosacea and matched controls.”

The study included 22 participants older than 18 years with rosacea who avoided facial washing and application of topical agents to the face 24 hours before skin sampling. Nineteen patients (14 women) completed the study and were matched to 19 controls without rosacea. Evaluation of swabbed nose and bilateral cheeks in patients were recorded to compare with the matched controls.

There was an increase in alpha diversity of facial microbes among patients with rosacea compared with controls, the researchers wrote. In addition, there were recorded findings of differences in the abundance of specific bacterial taxa between rosacea subtypes and healthy controls. These identified taxa may be useful in informing researchers looking for new therapeutic targets for rosacea.

“While there were no significant differences in the ecologic diversity of microbiota, we did note a number of bacterial taxa that were significantly enriched or depleted across the subtypes of rosacea compared with controls with variations across age group, sex and extend of disease,” Rainer and colleagues wrote.

Further studies that examine the potential role for the skin microbiota in the pathophysiology of rosacea may be beneficial due to the low sample size of some rosacea subgroups used in this study, they wrote. – by Erin T. Welsh

Disclosures: Rainer reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.