Quick Answer
Long AnswerFacultatively anaerobic Staphylococci, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, and anaerobic Cutibacterium species, particularly Cutibacterium acnes, are prominent members of the human skin microbiome. Understanding their interactions is crucial for elucidating skin health and disease mechanisms.
Research indicates that Staphylococci can form biofilms under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, while Cutibacterium species typically require anaerobic conditions for biofilm formation. However, when co-cultured with Staphylococci, Cutibacterium can form robust biofilms even in the presence of oxygen. This phenomenon is attributed to the creation of anaerobic niches within the biofilm structure.
Specifically, fluorescence confocal microscopy has shown that Staphylococci create localized hypoxic environments at the base of the biofilm. These niches protect C. acnes from the bacteriostatic effects of oxygen, allowing it to grow and thrive. The presence of Staphylococci does not inhibit their own biofilm formation, suggesting a symbiotic relationship where Staphylococci enhance the growth of Cutibacterium under aerobic conditions.
In a study by Kaplan et al. (2024), it was demonstrated that when cultured alone, Staphylococci could form biofilms in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, while Cutibacterium spp. only formed biofilms anaerobically. However, in co-culture, the biofilm formation of Cutibacterium was significantly enhanced, indicating that Staphylococci facilitate its growth in oxygen-rich environments. This interaction is crucial for understanding the dynamics of the skin microbiome, particularly in areas exposed to air, such as the stratum corneum.
The ability of facultatively anaerobic Staphylococci to create anaerobic niches allows anaerobic Cutibacterium species to thrive in aerobic conditions, highlighting a complex interaction that may influence skin health and disease.
Key Insight
Bioinformatics Wizardimport pandas as pd import matplotlib.pyplot as plt # Load experimental data data = pd.read_csv('biofilm_growth_data.csv') # Plotting the growth of Cutibacterium in presence of Staphylococci plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6)) plt.plot(data['Time'], data['Cutibacterium_Growth'], label='Cutibacterium Growth', color='blue') plt.title('Cutibacterium Growth in Co-Culture with Staphylococci') plt.xlabel('Time (hours)') plt.ylabel('Growth (CFU/ml)') plt.legend() plt.grid() plt.show()
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