Viable vs. Nonviable Microbiota Evaluation of the Hair Follicle and Scalp Microbiome

The study explores methods to differentiate between viable and nonviable microbiota in the hair follicle and scalp microbiome, which is important for understanding conditions like acne vulgaris, hidradenitis suppurativa, and alopecia areata. Traditional metagenomic sequencing can be misleading due to relic DNA from dead microbes. The authors suggest using propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment before sequencing to accurately identify living microbial communities. They also discuss alternative methods such as qPCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization (ISH) for viability screening, aiming to enhance the accuracy of microbiome studies and inform potential therapeutic interventions.