Loss of microbial diversity and body site heterogeneity in individuals with Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, scarring, inflammatory skin disease affecting hair follicles in axillae, inguinal, and anogenital regions. Dysbiosis in HS patients compared to healthy subjects is documented. However, whether dysbiosis is specific to particular body sites or skin niches is unknown. We investigated the follicular and skin surface microbiome of the axilla and groin of HS patients (n=11) and healthy individuals (n=10) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3-V4). We sampled non-lesional (HSN) and lesional skin (HSL) of HS patients. β-diversity was significantly decreased (pMetabolism, Genetic Information Processing, andEnvironmental Information Processingwere significantly different between normal and HS samples. Altered metabolic pathways associated with dysbiosis of HS skin suggest mechanisms underlying the disease pathology and information about treatment with drugs targeting those pathways.