ABOVE: Pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, shown here, are more likely to emerge in wounds in which the diversity of other microbes is low.
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The paper
C. Tipton et al., “Patient genetics is linked to chronic wound microbiome composition and healing,” PLOS Pathog, 16:e1008511, 2020.
How quickly scrapes, cuts, and gashes in the skin heal can vary greatly depending on a person’s body mass, age, and whether the individual suffers from certain chronic conditions such as diabetes. Genetics, a new study suggests, may also play a role, with variations in two specific genes lowering the diversity of a wound’s microbiome and lengthening healing time.
Through a partnership with Southwest Regional Wound Care Center in Lubbock, Texas, geneticist Caleb Phillips at Texas Tech University and colleagues gained access to 85 patients’ DNA samples. Analyzing each person’s sample and comparing it to the diversity of bacteria in the ...
