The neonatal skin microbiome consists of all the genomes and genetic products of microorganisms harboring on an infant’s skin. Host and the microbiota develop a harmonious environment resulting in symbiosis. Any disruption of this environment could lead to pathological disease. This study was conducted to understand the neonatal skin microbiome of very preterm neonates (under 32 weeks) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU) at a tertiary healthcare setting before and after kangaroo mother care (KMC), using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Skin swabs were collected on two different occasions and analyzed using the NGS technique after amplification via polymerase chain reaction. The results showed relative abundance for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 83.33% and 66.67% (p = 0.29) and Mycobacteroides abscessus in 100% and 93.33% (p = 0.30) of the very preterm neonates on the skin microbiome before and after KMC, respectively as an incidental finding. The mere presence of these bacilli as commensals or as potential pathogens is alarming due to the risk of early exposure and incidence of tuberculosis from birth. These findings, in our view, are the first findings to be established in such a setting.

中文翻译：

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早产儿皮肤微生物组中的分枝杆菌属

新生儿皮肤微生物组由婴儿皮肤上微生物的所有基因组和遗传产物组成。宿主和微生物群形成和谐的环境，从而产生共生关系。这种环境的任何破坏都可能导致病理性疾病。进行这项研究是为了了解在袋鼠妈妈护理 (KMC) 前后入住新生儿重症监护室 (NICU) 的极早产新生儿（32 周以下）的新生儿皮肤微生物组，使用下一代测序。 NGS）。在两种不同的情况下收集皮肤拭子，并在通过聚合酶链反应扩增后使用 NGS 技术进行分析。结果显示结核分枝杆菌的相对丰度为 83.33% 和 66.67% (p = 0.29)，脓肿分枝杆菌的相对丰度为 100% 和 93.33% (p = 0. 30) 非常早产儿在 KMC 之前和之后的皮肤微生物组，分别作为偶然发现。由于早期暴露的风险和出生时结核病的发病率，这些杆菌仅作为共生菌或潜在病原体存在就令人担忧。在我们看来，这些发现是在这种环境中确立的第一个发现。