The Effect of Systemic Antibiotics for Suppurative Skin and Soft Tissue Infections on the Skin Microbiome

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are very common bacterial infections. There are few data on the microbiome of persons with and without SSTIs and the effects of systemic antibiotic therapy.

We surprisingly found no significant differences in microbiome comparing noninfected skin sites before and after systemic SSTI antibiotic therapy nor significant differences at noninfected skin sites between SSTI cases and uninfected controls. We also found minimal significant differences between microbiome diversity and bacterial signatures at noninfected skin sites between patients with acute skin infection and uninfected controls. Our findings challenge the dogma that systemic antibiotics impact the skin microbiome.

We sampled the skin microbiome from 10 outpatients with acute suppurative SSTI before and after systemic antibiotic therapy and enrolled 10 matched controls. Samples were collected at 6 skin body sites (occipital scalp, axilla, interdigital hand web spaces, gluteal crease, inguinal creases, and popliteal fossa), 2 mucosal sites (throat, anterior nares), and the site of skin infection (for case subjects) at baseline and a week later after abscess incision, drainage, and oral antibiotics. Result: Among 10 SSTI cases, mean age was 41.5 years and 3 had diabetes mellitus. The gluteal crease at baseline had higher α-diversity in controls vs cases (P = .039); β-diversity analysis showed significant differences in overall bacterial community composition (P = .046). However, at other body sites there were no significant differences by either α- or β-diversity. Systemic antibiotic use did not affect body site diversity indices except at the SSTI site (α-diversity increased, P = .001). Conclusions: We surprisingly found no significant differences in microbiome comparing noninfected skin sites before and after systemic SSTI antibiotic therapy nor significant differences at noninfected skin sites between SSTI cases and uninfected controls. We also found minimal significant differences between microbiome diversity and bacterial signatures at noninfected skin sites between patients with acute skin infection and uninfected controls. Our findings challenge the dogma that systemic antibiotics impact the skin microbiome.