title: Performing Skin Microbiome Research: A Method to the Madness.
abstract: Growing interest in microbial contributions to human health and disease has increasingly led investigators to examine the microbiome in both healthy skin and cutaneous disorders, including acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. The need for common language, effective study design, and validated methods is critical for high-quality standardized research. Features, unique to skin, pose particular challenges when conducting microbiome research. This review discusses microbiome research standards and highlights important factors to consider, including clinical study design, skin sampling, sample processing, DNA sequencing, control inclusion, and data analysis.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Electronic address: konghe@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Heidi H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Core Facility NGS/Microbiome, ZIEL Institute for Food and Health, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clavel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, Singapore.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Common
authors.affiliation: Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Segre
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, UNIKA-T, Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Augsburg, Germany; Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Traidl-Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000382:microbiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000382:microbiology; D003880:Dermatology; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000382:microbiology; D012107:Research Design; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000382:microbiology