Sunyoung Kwon, Ji Young Choi, Jung-Won Shin, Chang-Hun Huh, Kyoung-Chan Park, Mi-Hee Du, Sungroh Yoon, Jung-Im Na
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3089

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the skin surface microbiome in patients with atopic dermatitis during treatment. The effect of narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy was also studied to determine the influence of exposure to ultraviolet. A total of 18 patients with atopic dermatitis were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on treatment: 1 group treated with narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy and topical corticosteroid, and the other group treated with topical corticosteroid only. Skin swabs and high-throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial genes were performed at 3 time-points. The microbial diversity of lesional skin increased greatly after treatment. The proportion of Staphylococcus aureus showed a significant positive correlation with eczema severity. In conclusion, a drastic increase in microbial diversity and decrease in S. aureus proportion were observed with eczema treatment. Narrowband ultraviolet B treatment did not exert additive effects on eczema improvement; however, it appeared to reduce the recurrence of eczema.

The human skin microbiome refers to the entire communities of microbes that reside in and on the human skin. We observed the changes in skin microbiome in patients with atopic dermatitis along with the treatment course. The 18 study participants were divided into two groups based on treatment: narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy and topical corticosteroid group and topical corticosteroid only group. In both groups, a drastic increase in microbial diversity and decrease of Staphylococcus aureus proportion were observed with eczema treatment. Narrowband ultraviolet B treatment did not exert additive effects in eczema improvement; however, it seemed to reduce eczema recurrence.