Microbiome of Psoriatic Skin May Predict Progression to PsA

Across the spectrum of psoriatic disease, the cutaneous microbiome of patients differs from that of healthy controls, according to study findings published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.  

“These findings show differences in diversity, bacterial composition, and microbe-microbe interactions between healthy and psoriatic skin, both lesional and non-lesional,” wrote corresponding author Jose U. Scher, MD, of the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, and coauthors.

Researchers analyzed microbiota collected from skin swabs from the upper and lower extremities of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and healthy control subjects. Patients contributed both lesional as well as contralateral nonlesional samples.

Alpha diversity in both nonlesional and lesional skin of patients was significantly reduced compared with healthy skin, according to the study. Patients with psoriatic disease had more Staphylococcus, while healthy subjects had more Kocuria and Cutibacterium.

“Microbe-microbe association networks revealed a higher degree of similarity between psoriatic non-lesional and lesional skin compared with healthy skin despite the absence of clinically evident inflammation,” researchers reported.

Nonlesional samples from patients with psoriatic arthritis had a higher relative abundance of Corynebacterium than nonlesional samples from patients with psoriasis, the study found. Researchers believe the bacteria could potentially serve as a biomarker to predict the transition from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis.

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference
Boix-Amorós A, Badri MH, Manasson J, et al. Alterations in the cutaneous microbiome of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis reveal similarities between non-lesional and lesional skin. Ann Rheum Dis. Published online December 12, 2022. doi:10.1136/ard-2022-223389