Skin microbiome modulation induced by probiotic solutions

BACKGROUND: The skin is colonized by a large number of microorganisms, most of which are beneficial or harmless. However, disease states of skin have specific microbiome compositions that are different from those of healthy skin. Gut microbiome modulation through fecal transplant has been proven as a valid therapeutic strategy in diseases such as Clostridium difficile infections. Therefore, techniques to modulate the skin microbiome composition may become an interesting therapeutic option in diseases affecting the skin such as psoriasis or acne vulgaris. METHODS: Here, we have used mixtures of different skin microbiome components to alter the composition of recipient skin microbiomes. RESULTS: We show that after sequential applications of a donor microbiome, the recipient microbiome becomes more similar to the donor. After intervention, an initial week-long phase is characterized by the dominance of donor strains. The level of engraftment depends on the composition of the recipient and donor microbiomes, and the applied bacterial load. We observed higher engraftment using a multi-strain donor solution with recipient skin rich in Cutibacterium acnes subtype H1 and Leifsonia. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated the use of living bacteria to modulate skin microbiome composition. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-019-0709-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.