A Potential Predictive Role of the Scalp Microbiome Profiling in Patients with Alopecia Areata: Staphylococcus Caprae, Corynebacterium, and Cutibacterium Species

April 2022 in “ Microorganisms ”

Eun Jeong Won, Hyun Hee Jang, Hansoo Park, Seong J. Kim

Alopecia Areata scalp microbiome Corynebacterium species Staphylococcus caprae Cutibacterium species AA

TLDR People with severe hair loss (Alopecia Areata) have different scalp bacteria than healthy people, which might help predict the condition's progress.

The study examined the scalp microbiome of 33 patients with Alopecia Areata (AA) and 12 healthy controls. It found that AA patients had a more diverse scalp microbiome, with a higher proportion of Corynebacterium species and a lower proportion of Staphylococcus caprae among the Staphylococcus species in severe AA patients compared to healthy controls or mild AA. Additionally, a higher ratio of Cutibacterium species to S. caprae was observed in severe AA. These findings suggest that scalp microbiome profiling could potentially predict the prognosis of patients with AA. However, the study acknowledges the need for further research due to its small dataset.

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