High-Altitude Living Shapes the Skin Microbiome in Humans and Pigs

Zeng, Bo; Zhao, Jiangchao; Guo, Wei; Zhang, Siyuan; Hua, Yutong; Tang, Jingsi; Kong, Fanli; Yang, Xuewu; Fu, Lizhi; Liao, K. yen.; Yu, Xianqiong; Chen, Guohong; Jin, Long; Shuai, Surong; Yang, Jiandong; Si, Xiaohui; Ning, Ruihong; Mishra, Saurabh; Liu, Ying

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2017.01929

Cited by 34 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In our study, the observed OTU numbers were lower in both the skin and gut microbiomes of amphibians at high altitude (or in Bg alone), similar to the OTU values observed in humans, pigs, and Chinese rhesus macaques at high and low altitudes (Zeng et al, ; Zhao et al, ). The environment can affect symbiotic microbial diversity (skin and gut microbes) in amphibians (Chang et al, ; Wolz, Yarwood, Grant, Fleischer, & Lips, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

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Changes in the community structure of the symbiotic microbes of wild amphibians from the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau

et al. 2020

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Environment has a potential effect on the animal symbiotic microbiome. Here, to study the potential relationship of the symbiotic microbiomes of wild amphibians with altitude, we collected the gut and skin samples from frogs (nine species) and the environmental samples (water and soil samples) from the Leshan Mountains (altitude: 360–410 m) and Gongga Mountains (altitude: 3340–3989 m) on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Bufo gargarizans (Bg) samples were collected from both the Leshan and Gongga mountain regions (Bg was the only species sampled on both mountains). The DNA extracted from each sample was performed high‐throughput sequencing (MiSeq) of bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons. High relative abundance of Caulobacteraceae and Sphingomonadaceae was found in skin samples from both Bg and the other high‐altitude amphibians (nine species combined). High relative abundance of Coxiellaceae and Mycoplasmataceae was found in gut samples from both Bg and the other high‐altitude amphibians. Furthermore, the alpha and beta diversities of skin and gut samples from Bg and the other amphibian species (nine species combined) were similar. In terms of the symbiotic microbial community, the low‐altitude samples were less diverse and more similar to each other than the high‐altitude samples were. We speculated that extreme high‐altitude environments and host phylogeny may affect the amphibian microbiome. Despite the distinct microbial community differences between the skin and gut microbiomes, some functions were similar in the Bg and combined high‐altitude samples. The Bg and high‐altitude skin samples had higher oxidative stress tolerance and biofilm formation than the low‐altitude skin samples. However, the opposite results were observed for the Bg and high‐altitude gut samples. Further study is required to determine whether these characteristics favor high‐altitude amphibian adaptation to extreme environments.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Environmental factors have profound effects on the skin and gut microbial composition of amphibians (Das et al, ; Zeng et al, ). In our study, the host species likely influenced the amphibian skin and gut microbial compositions, with a more significant impact observed on the skin microbiome (Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in the community structure of the symbiotic microbes of wild amphibians from the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau

et al. 2020

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“…Zeng et al 14 also found the similar result. They found the people at high altitude Tibet plateau (3750-3861 m above sea level) had significantly less diverse skin microbiomes than at low altitude Sichuan basin area (319-1421 m above sea level).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 55%

“…13 These conditions exert a substantial selective pressure on skin microbiome and hence the skin microbiomes differ with altitude in terms of diversity and number. 14 This study aims to isolate and identify the skin bacterial flora from 10 different ethnic groups residing in 3 distinct altitudes of Nepal; ranging from low land Terai region to high mountains. It will help to trace the microbial diversity in them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human skin bacterial flora differ with altitudes in different ethnic groups of Nepal

Shrestha¹,

Shrestha²,

Hendriksen³

et al. 2019

Asian J Med Sci

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Background: Largest organ of human body, the skin, is colonized by millions of microorganisms, most of which are not only harmless but also beneficial to the host. Human skin microbes depend upon geographical variations, ethnicity and various host factors. Despite several studies on human skin microbiota in various parts of the globe, it has not been studied in Nepalese population. Aims and Objective: To identify skin bacterial normal flora in different ethnic groups residing in different altitude of Nepal. Materials and Methods: We cultured skin swabs of 166 randomly selected volunteers belonging to 10 major ethnic groups from 3 distinct geographical altitudes of Nepal, viz. Bharatpur (415 m from sea level), Kathmandu (1,400 m from sea level) and Lukla (2,860 m from sea level). The isolated organisms were characterized and tested for their susceptibility against different antibiotics. Results: Altogether 231 bacterial isolates were characterized from 166 skin samples. Among them, 140 isolates (60.60 %) were Gram positive and 91 isolates (39.40 %) were Gram negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (35.49%) was the most dominant skin bacterial flora followed by Escherichia coli (22.51%) and Streptococcus spp. (17.75%). Medium altitude Kathmandu exhibited the highest growth (120 isolates) followed by low land Bharatpur (66 isolates) and high land Lukla (51 isolates) which is statistically significant (p value =0.0124). Theantibiotic susceptibility testing against 14 antibiotics exhibited the Gram positive isolates were the most sensitive to Imipenem (94.93 %) whereas the least sensitive to Cephalexin (31.36 %) and the Gram negative isolates were the most sensitive to Amikacin (100%) whereas the least sensitive to Amoxycillin (28.57 %). Conclusion: Our data indicates that the skin bacterial normal flora; which is directly exposed to external environment; has significant relationship with altitudes where individuals live. The result desires further study for the adaptability of normal flora found in different altitudes. Some bacterial commensals were found resistant even against new generations of antibiotics as well, and hence can cause life-threatening infections if they happen to cross the skin physical barrier.

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“…Interestingly, these challenging conditions affect not only mammals, but also their commensal microbiota. The skin microbiome diversity and composition, which are associated with health in many species, were different in high‐altitude blue sheep (Sun et al ), Tibetan sheep (Ma et al ), humans and pigs compared with lowland individuals, with unique taxa known as extremophiles that are only found at high altitudes (Zeng et al ).…”

Section: Effects Of High Altitude On the Mammalian Body And Physiologmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection signatures for high‐altitude adaptation in ruminants

Friedrich

Wiener

2020

Animal Genetics

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Summary High‐altitude areas are important socio‐economical habitats with ruminants serving as a major source of food and commodities for humans. Living at high altitude, however, is extremely challenging, predominantly due to the exposure to hypoxic conditions, but also because of cold temperatures and limited feed for livestock. To survive in high‐altitude environments over the long term, ruminants have evolved adaptation strategies, e.g. physiological and morphological modifications, which allow them to cope with these harsh conditions. Identification of such selection signatures in ruminants may contribute to more informed breeding decisions, and thus improved productivity. Moreover, studying the genetic background of altitude adaptation in ruminants provides insights into a common molecular basis across species and thus a better understanding of the physiological basis of this adaptation. In this paper, we review the major effects of high altitude on the mammalian body and highlight some of the most important short‐term (coping) and genetically evolved (adaptation) physiological modifications. We then discuss the genetic architecture of altitude adaptation and target genes that show evidence of being under selection based on recent studies in various species, with a focus on ruminants. The yak is presented as an interesting native species that has adapted to the high‐altitude regions of Tibet. Finally, we conclude with implications and challenges of selection signature studies on altitude adaptation in general. We found that the number of studies on genetic mechanisms that enable altitude adaptation in ruminants is growing, with a strong focus on identifying selection signatures, and hypothesise that the investigation of genetic data from multiple species and regions will contribute greatly to the understanding of the genetic basis of altitude adaptation.

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High-Altitude Living Shapes the Skin Microbiome in Humans and Pigs

Cited by 34 publications

References 53 publications

Changes in the community structure of the symbiotic microbes of wild amphibians from the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau

Changes in the community structure of the symbiotic microbes of wild amphibians from the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau

Human skin bacterial flora differ with altitudes in different ethnic groups of Nepal

Selection signatures for high‐altitude adaptation in ruminants

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