Early skin microbiome and metabolome signatures can predict atopic dermatitis in infants aged 6 to 18 months old, according to new research being presented at the 2024 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting.
The Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) mother-offspring cohort profiled bacterial metagenomics, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) longitudinally in infants from birth till 18 months of age. Specifically, researchers conducted metagenomic sequencing, antimicrobial peptides and profiling of natural moisturizing factors using skin tape strips collected from infants periodically from day 7 to 18 months of life.
The children were then assessed for symptoms of atopic dermatitis at age 6 and 18 months by trained physicians. The rates of atopic dermatitis were 30.8% in 6-month-old children and 20.8% at 18 months of age.
Researchers found that distinct skin microbiota NMF and AMP signatures in early life predicted atopic dermatitis by 18 months of age. The composition of early life skin microbiota in infants who later developed atopic dermatitis was predominantly driven by the enrichment of specific, identifiable bacterial species as early as week 1 and month 3 of life.
This bacterial signature was linked with lower levels of natural moisturizing factors and higher antimicrobial peptide levels in early life. Similarly, different atopic dermatitis trajectories, including early onset transient, early onset persistent and late onset, were associated with distinct signatures of skin microbiota, natural moisturizing factors and antimicrobial peptides in early life, the study showed.
The findings suggest that strategies for prevention of atopic dermatitis may be possible through identifying high-risk infants in the pre-disease stage with the help of skin biomarkers, note researchers who were led by Elizabeth Tham, MBBS, the Head of the Division of Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology at Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute in Singapore.
These predictive biomarkers aid in identifying high-risk infants who may benefit from targeted strategies in early life for atopic dermatitis prevention. This novel predictive modeling of early life skin biomarker signatures can provide valuable insights into the diagnosis and prevention of atopic dermatitis.
