Alterations of the human gut microbiome in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: a case-control study and review of the literature: Gut microbiome in hidradenitis suppurativa

• Published in: Dermatology practical & conceptual 2022-10, p.e2022191
• Main Authors: Demirel Öğüt, Neslihan, Hasçelik, Gülşen, Atakan, Nilgün
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2160-9381; 2160-9381
• DOI: 10.5826/dpc.1204a191

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a systemic inflammatory disease that extends beyond the skin. The role of gut microbiome alterations in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders is remarkable.Objective: Based on the hypothesis that dysbiosis in the gut microbiome may be a trigger for systemic inflammation in the pathogenesis of HS, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the gut microbiome is altered in HS patients comparing with healthy subjects.Methods: In present case-control study, fecal samples from 15 patients with HS and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were collected and analyzed using 16S rRNA-based metagenomic analysis. The V3 and V4-hypervariable regions of 16S rDNA gene were amplified from all samples and sequenced by the Illumina MiSeq platform. Bioinformatic analyzes were performed in QIIME2. Results: Shannon alpha diversity index showed significantly reduced diversity in HS patients (P = 0.048). Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity and Jaccard Distance revealed that the gut microbial composition of HS patients was significantly distinctive from that of controls (P = 0.01 and P = 0.007, respectively). The relative abundance of unclassified Clostridiales, unclassified Firmicutes and Fusicatenibacter in HS was significantly lower than that in controls (P = 0.005,  P = 0.029, and P = 0.046, respectively).Conclusion: This study indicated that significant alterations in gut microbiota of HS patients could play a critical role in the pathogenesis of HS and might be a trigger for systemic inflammation. Increased understanding the pathogenesis of HS will shed light on the new potential therapeutic targets and novel treatment options.