title: Microbiota in healthy skin and in atopic eczema.
abstract: The Italian interest group (IG) on atopic eczema and urticaria is member of the Italian Society of Allergology and Immunology. The aim of our IG is to provide a platform for scientists, clinicians, and experts. In this review we discuss the role of skin microbiota not only in healthy skin but also in skin suffering from atopic dermatitis (AD). A Medline and Embase search was conducted for studies evaluating the role of skin microbiota. We examine microbiota composition and its development within days after birth; we describe the role of specific groups of microorganisms that colonize distinct anatomical niches and the biology and clinical relevance of antimicrobial peptides expressed in the skin. Specific AD disease states are characterized by concurrent and anticorrelated shifts in microbial diversity and proportion of Staphylococcus. These organisms may protect the host, defining them not as simple symbiotic microbes but rather as mutualistic microbes. These findings reveal links between microbial communities and inflammatory diseases such as AD and provide novel insights into global shifts of bacteria relevant to disease progression and treatment. This review also highlights recent observations on the importance of innate immune systems and the relationship with normal skin microflora for the maintenance of healthy skin.
authors.affiliation: National Health System Pediatrician ASL RMC-D6, Rome, Italy ; Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2821-5092
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baviera
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Pediatric Unit, Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Chiara
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3903-9848
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Department of Reproduction and Pediatrics, University Hospital S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucetta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capra
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Pediatric Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2229-5263
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cipriani
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Nunzia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5795-7191
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maiello
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Pediatric Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.affiliation: Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), Atopic Dermatitis and Urticaria Committee, Italy ; Pediatric Allergy Unit, Research Center, San Pietro Hospital-Fatebenefratelli, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6692-9101
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Galli
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D016239:MEDLINE; D064307:Microbiota; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides