A comparative study of skin microbiome in Japanese and Cameroonian healthy people

Skin is the largest organ of our body, serving a physical barrier which protects our body from external insults. Skin microbiota, or skin bacteria and fungi, is also reported to participate in the skin barrier function, in terms of maturation of skin immunity, producing bactericidal materials to prevent pathogenic bacteria to flourish, and keeping the skin physiological function healthy (e.g., sebum decomposition to fatty acids to keep skin pH mildly acidic). In this study, we are interested in the difference in skin microbiome between Japanese and other countries' people, especially in Africa, which is yet to be clarified. As we could successfully make a collaborative research team between Japan and Cameroon, here we show the skin microbiome of Japanese and Cameroonian healthy people.