LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION OF THE SKIN MICROBIOME AND ASSOCIATION WITH MICROENVIRONMENT AND TREATMENT IN CANINE ATOPIC DERMATITIS

Host-microbe interactions may play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disorder that is commonly treated with antimicrobial therapy. To examine the relationship between epidermal barrier function and the cutaneous microbiota in AD, this study employed a robust and spontaneous model of canine AD (cAD). In a cohort of 14 dogs with cAD, the skin microbiota was longitudinally evaluated with parallel assessment of skin barrier function at disease flare, during antimicrobial therapy and post-therapy. Sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene revealed decreased bacterial diversity and increased proportions of Staphylococcus (S. pseudintermedius in particular) and Corynebacterium in comparison to a cohort of healthy control dogs (n=16). Treatment restored bacterial diversity with decreased Staphylococcus proportions, concurrent with decreased cAD severity. Skin barrier function, as measured by corneometry, pH, and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) also normalized with treatment. Bacterial diversity correlated with TEWL and pH, but not corneometry. These findings provide novel insights into the relationship between the cutaneous microbiome and skin barrier function in AD, the impact of antimicrobial therapy on the skin microbiome, and highlight the utility of cAD as a spontaneous non-rodent model of AD.