Comparative study of skin microbiome of male and female subjects in Obong University and it's environs

Abstract

The skin is the largest organ interfacing with the external environment. The human skin though sterile prenatally, becomes besieged by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses after birth. The aim of the study was to compare skin microbiome of the following sites: Oily(glabella and alar crease), Moist(interdigital web space and antecubitalfossa)and Dry(hypothenar palm) of male and female subjects in Obong University and its environs. The objectives of the study were to isolates, characterize and identify bacteria populations from these study sites of the human skin. A total of 54 skin swabs, 30 from male and 24 from female were collected from eighteen (18) subjects, 10 male and 8 female subjects, and were analysed using standard microbiological methods. Five (5) bacterial isolates, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Cutibacterium acnes were isolated from the representative skin sites. S. aureus and S. epidermidis dominated the moist skin at 31% and 29% respectively, and also dominated the dry skin sites at 37% and 36% respectively. However,C. acnes was the dominant isolate on the sebaceous sites with 57% occurrence. Based on gender differences, the isolates obtained from the female subjectsfrom the three study sites showed S. aureus, S. epidermidis. C. acnes, P. aeruginosa and K. pneumonia,occurring at the percentage prevalence of 35%, 36%, 39%, 39% and 36% respectively for the females and with respective prevalence of 65%, 64%, 61%, 61% and 64% for the male subjects. Based on age differences, the isolates, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, C. acnes, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumonia were prevalent at 20%, 17%, 21%, 22%, and 20% respectively, for the females between the ages of 12-19 years, and 22%, 17%, 23%, 20% and 18% respectively for the male subjects between the ages of 10-19years. The higher prevalence ofStaphylococcus aureus in males than females in this study is attributed to the fact that men have more sweat glands than women (Kawahata, 1960).