Greater Microbiome Diversity and Biofilm Found in Noninflammatory Comedones of Acne Vulgaris

Noninflammatory comedones of acne vulgaris contain biofilm formations and greater microbiota diversity compared with papules and uninvolved skin, according to a recent study published in International Journal of Dermatology.

Researchers examined biofilm and skin microbiota in patients with acne to understand the role of these factors in the development of acne lesions. Thin sections of punch biopsy specimens of uninflamed comedones, inflammatory lesions, and uninvolved adjacent skin of patients were examined. Biofilms were detected using epifluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Microbiota were analyzed using pyrosequencing with taxonomic classification of 16s rRNA gene amplicons.

Of the 39 skin specimens examined, 23% contained biofilm. Comedones most frequently contained biofilm (55.6%) vs biofilm being present in only 22.2% of papules and uninvolved skin. The highest alpha diversity and greatest abundance of Staphylococcus was also found in comedones.

“The microenvironment of the comedone differs from that of inflammatory lesions and unaffected skin,” concluded the study authors. “The increased frequency of biofilm in comedones may account for the lack of host inflammatory response to these lesions,” they continued.

Reference
Loss M, Thompson KG, Agostinho-Hunt A, et al. Noninflammatory comedones have greater diversity in microbiome and are more prone to biofilm formation than inflammatory lesions of acne vulgaris. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(5):589-596. doi:10.1111/ijd.15308