Malassezia and Staphylococcus dominate scalp microbiome for seborrheic dermatitis

Abstract

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a common disease of the human scalp that causes physical damage and psychological problems for patients. Studies have indicated that dysbiosis of the scalp microbiome results in SD. However, the specific fungal and bacterial microbiome changes related to SD remain elusive. To further investigate the fungal and bacterial microbiome changes associated with SD, we recruited 57 SD patients and 53 healthy individuals and explored their scalp microbiomes using next generation sequencing and the QIIME and LEfSe bioinformatics tools. Skin pH, sebum secretion, hydration, and trans-epidermal water loss (TWEL) were also measured at the scalp. We found no statistically significant differences between the normal and lesion sites in SD patients with different subtypes of dandruff and erythema. However, the fungal and bacterial microbiome could differentiate SD patients from healthy controls. The presence of Malassezia and Aspergillus was both found to be potential fungal biomarkers for SD, while Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas were found to be potential bacterial biomarkers. The fungal and bacterial microbiome were divided into three clusters through co-abundance analysis and their correlations with host factors indicated the interactions and potential cooperation and resistance between microbe communities and host. Our research showed the skin microbe dysbiosis of SD and highlighted specific microorganisms that may serve as potential biomarkers of SD. The etiology of SD is multi-pathogenetic-dependent on the linkage of several microbes with host. Scalp microbiome homeostasis could be a promising new target in the risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of SD disease.

Keywords: Biomarker; Dysbiosis; Malassezia; Scalp microbiome; Seborrheic dermatitis; Staphylococcus.