Investigation of the skin microbiome: swabs vs. biopsies.

Our study demonstrated a clear difference between the microbiome observed from skin swabs and skin biopsies. These findings may be highly relevant in disorders such as psoriasis where pathogenesis arises in the dermis. What's already known about this topic? 16S RNA gene sequencing has facilitated study of the skin microbiome. Several studies have sequenced the microbiome sampled by skin swabs. What does this study add? The microbiome data obtained using swabs and biopsies were different. Diseases that are predominantly dermal should be studied using both swabs and biopsies.