title: Mapping axillary microbiota responsible for body odours using a culture-independent approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human axillary odour is commonly attributed to the bacterial degradation of precursors in sweat secretions. To assess the role of bacterial communities in the formation of body odours, we used a culture-independent approach to study axillary skin microbiota and correlated these data with olfactory analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four Caucasian male and female volunteers and four assessors showed that the underarms of non-antiperspirant (non-AP) users have significantly higher global sweat odour intensities and harboured on average about 50 times more bacteria than those of AP users. Global sweat odour and odour descriptors sulfury-cat urine and acid-spicy generally increased from the morning to the afternoon sessions. Among non-AP users, male underarm odours were judged higher in intensity with higher fatty and acid-spicy odours and higher bacterial loads. Although the content of odour precursors in underarm secretions varied widely among individuals, males had a higher acid: sulfur precursor ratio than females did. No direct correlations were found between measured precursor concentration and sweat odours. High-throughput sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA genes of underarm bacteria collected from 11 non-AP users (six females and five males) confirmed the strong dominance of the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, with 96% of sequences assigned to the genera Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium. The proportion of several bacterial taxa showed significant variation between males and females. The genera Anaerococcus and Peptoniphilus and the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from Staphylococcus haemolyticus and the genus Corynebacterium were more represented in males than in females. The genera Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium were correlated and anti-correlated, respectively, with body odours. Within the genus Staphylococcus, different OTUs were either positively or negatively correlated with axillary odour. The relative abundance of five OTUs (three assigned to S. hominis and one each to Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum and Anaerococcus) were positively correlated with at least one underarm olfactory descriptor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive and negative correlations between bacterial taxa found at the phylum, genus and OTU levels suggest the existence of mutualism and competition among skin bacteria. Such interactions, and the types and quantities of underarm bacteria, affect the formation of body odours. These findings open the possibility of developing new solutions for odour control.
authors: Laboratory of Bacteriology, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland ; Firmenich SA, Corporate R&D, Route des Jeunes 1, P.O. Box 148, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland.
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Troccaz
authors: Genomic Research Laboratory, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Gaïa
authors: Firmenich SA, Corporate R&D, Route des Jeunes 1, P.O. Box 148, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Beccucci
authors: Laboratory of Bacteriology, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland ; Genomic Research Laboratory, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Schrenzel
authors: Firmenich SA, Corporate R&D, Route des Jeunes 1, P.O. Box 148, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland.
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Cayeux
authors: Firmenich SA, Corporate R&D, Route des Jeunes 1, P.O. Box 148, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Starkenmann
authors: Genomic Research Laboratory, Geneva University Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Lazarevic
keywords: 16S rRNA gene sequencing; Bacterial communities; Skin
references: Trends Microbiol. 2013 Jun;21(6):305-12
references: 23566668
references: J R Soc Interface. 2009 Apr 6;6(33):377-92
references: 18682364
references: PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e34605
references: 22514642
references: Behav Biol. 1978 Jul;23(3):373-80
references: 697690
references: J Bacteriol. 2005 Jul;187(13):4671-82
references: 15968079
references: Science. 2009 Dec 18;326(5960):1694-7
references: 19892944
references: J Invest Dermatol. 1953 Apr;20(4):285-97
references: 13052978
references: ISME J. 2011 Feb;5(2):169-72
references: 20827291
references: Int J Cosmet Sci. 2004 Jun;26(3):129-38
references: 18494869
references: Chem Biodivers. 2004 Jul;1(7):1058-72
references: 17191898
references: Proc Biol Sci. 1997 Oct 22;264(1387):1471-9
references: 9364787
references: ISME J. 2010 Jan;4(1):17-27
references: 19710709
references: PLoS One. 2013 Jul 03;8(7):e67699
references: 23844068
references: Proc Biol Sci. 1995 Jun 22;260(1359):245-9
references: 7630893
references: FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2011 Jul;77(1):146-53
references: 21428987
references: Chem Biodivers. 2013 Dec;10 (12 ):2197-208
references: 24327440
references: Genome Res. 2008 Jul;18(7):1043-50
references: 18502944
references: PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e32942
references: 22412957
references: FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2013 Mar;83(3):527-40
references: 23278215
references: Am J Clin Dermatol. 2002;3(7):445-9
references: 12180892
references: Int J Cosmet Sci. 2012 Feb;34(1):2-11
references: 21790661
references: Science. 2009 May 29;324(5931):1190-2
references: 19478181
references: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2007 Aug;73(16):5261-7
references: 17586664
references: Int J Cosmet Sci. 2003 Jun;25(3):137-45
references: 18494895
references: Chem Senses. 2005 Oct;30(8):651-6
references: 16162644
references: Chem Biodivers. 2005 Jun;2(6):705-16
references: 17192014
references: AMA Arch Derm Syphilol. 1953 Oct;68(4):430-46
references: 13091383
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Oct 6;106(40):17187-92
references: 19805153
references: Psychiatry. 1975 Aug;38(3):278-89
references: 1105619
references: J Endocrinol. 1992 Jun;133(3):467-75
references: 1613448
references: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Dec;71(12):8228-35
references: 16332807
references: J Biol Chem. 2003 Feb 21;278(8):5718-27
references: 12468539
references: J Invest Dermatol. 1981 Nov;77(5):413-6
references: 7288207
references: J Appl Microbiol. 2011 Jun;110(6):1381-9
references: 21362117
references: J Biol Chem. 2008 Jul 25;283(30):20645-52
references: 18515361
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Nov 18;105(46):17994-9
references: 19004758
references: Appl Environ Microbiol. 2009 Dec;75(23):7537-41
references: 19801464
references: Genome Biol. 2012 Nov 15;13(11):R101
references: 23153041
references: Clin Exp Dermatol. 1983 May;8(3):259-68
references: 6411399
references: Chem Senses. 2009 Mar;34(3):203-10
references: 19147808
references: ISME J. 2012 Mar;6(3):610-8
references: 22134646
references: Arch Derm Syphilol. 1949 Sep;60(3):404-18
references: 18135848
references: FASEB J. 2009 Jun;23(6):2001-13
references: 19383836