Various factors can shape the structure of commensal communities. These include environmental factors and transient members, host phyiology, host genotype, and host immune system - Thomas Sharpton

She's in the Segre Lab at the NIH - Erick Matsen

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is marked by staphylococcal colonization and decreased community diversity - Thomas Sharpton

Found that monogenic mutations can cause shared phenotypes characterized by primary immunodeficiency - Thomas Sharpton

... even though the sources of this immunodeficicency can be from different sources. - Erick Matsen

Want to characterize the composition of the microbiome among these patients to unravel how the host genotype, immune system, microbiome influence disease - Thomas Sharpton

Collected communities from various locations on the body. Conducted 16S sequences. - Thomas Sharpton

Challenge is that these immunodeficient patients are on treatment, but they controlled by looking at non-immunodeficient cases of AD. - Erick Matsen

Curious if permissivity of the skin yields changes in diversity, changes in community structure or taxonomic composition - Thomas Sharpton

Found that community diversity is similar in skin unaffected by dermatitis, but decreases in skin affected with dermatitis - Thomas Sharpton

Using "theta index" to compare stability of microbiomes. - Erick Matsen

Found less site-specificity in community structure in primary immunodeficiency patients - Thomas Sharpton

Identified taxa that uniquely colonized immune deficient patients - Thomas Sharpton

In particular, Staph is the dominant in controls. - Erick Matsen

Staphylococcus species dominate AD patients. - Thomas Sharpton

Also found that immunodeficient skin is uniquely colonized by Serratia - Thomas Sharpton

However, immunodeficient individuals have lots of Serratia, but not much difference between the affected and unaffecteds. So probably not pathogenic. - Erick Matsen

non-aureus staphylococci predominated the diseased HIES microbiome - Thomas Sharpton

Staph is important, so speciated them. Staph aureus dominated immunocompetent AD. - Erick Matsen

Correlating taxa to clinical markers. Corynebacteria associated with a return to healthy state. - Erick Matsen

P.acnes, and Lacto, Str. oralis, all bad for recovery. - Erick Matsen

Wrap up: primary immunodifeiciency may increase permissiveness of the skin. Unique traits were observed in the skin disease in primary immunodeficiency patients. - Erick Matsen