Comparison of the skin microbiota in acne and rosacea.

Acne and rosacea, despite their similar clinical presentations, follow distinct clinical courses, suggesting that fundamental differences exist in their pathophysiology. We performed a case-control study profiling the skin microbiota in rosacea and acne patients compared to matched controls. 19 rosacea and 8 acne patients were matched to controls by age ±5 years, sex, and race. DNA was extracted from facial skin swabs. The V3V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq and analyzed using QIIME/Metastats 2.0 software. The mean relative abundance of Cutibacterium acnes in rosacea with inflammatory papules and pustules (20.454% ±16.943%) was more similar to that of acne (19.055% ±15.469%) than that of rosacea without inflammatory papules and pustules (30.419% ±21.862%). C. acnes (p=0.048) and Serratia marcescens (p=0.038) were significantly enriched in individuals with rosacea compared to acne. Investigating the differences between the skin microbiota in acne and rosacea can provide important clues toward understanding the disease progression in each condition.