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Download fileSpatial variations in the microbial community structure and diversity of the human foot is associated with the production of odorous volatiles
journal contribution
posted on 2015-07-30, 08:59 authored by Deborah Stevens, Robert Cornmell, David Taylor, Sally G. Grimshaw, Svetlana Riazanskaia, David S. Arnold, Sara J. Fernstad, Adrian M. Smith, Liam HeaneyLiam Heaney, Jim ReynoldsJim Reynolds, Paul Thomas, Mark HarkerThe human foot provides an ideal environment for the colonization and growth of bacteria and subsequently is a body site
associated with the liberation of odour. This study aimed to enumerate and spatially map bacterial populations’ resident
across the foot to understand any association with odour production. Culture-based analysis confirmed that Staphylococci
were present in higher numbers than aerobic corynebacteria and Gram-positive aerobic cocci, with all species being present
at much higher levels on the plantar sites compared to dorsal sites. Microbiomic analysis supported these findings
demonstrating that Staphylococcus spp. were dominant across different foot sites and comprised almost the entire bacterial
population on the plantar surface. The levels of volatile fatty acids, including the key foot odour compound isovaleric acid,
that contribute to foot odour were significantly increased at the plantar skin site compared to the dorsal surface. The fact
that isovaleric acid was not detected on the dorsal surface but was present on the plantar surface is probably attributable to
the high numbers of Staphylococcus spp. residing at this site. Variations in the spatial distribution of these microbes appear
to be responsible for the localized production of odour across the foot.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Chemistry
Published in
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGYVolume
91Issue
1Pages
? - ? (11)Citation
STEVENS, D. et al., 2015. Spatial variations in the microbial community structure and diversity of the human foot is associated with the production of odorous volatiles. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 91 (1), pp. 1-11.Publisher
Oxford University Press © FEMSVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2015Notes
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in FEMS Microbiology Ecology following peer review. The version of record STEVENS, D. et al., 2015. Spatial variations in the microbial community structure and diversity of the human foot is associated with the production of odorous volatiles. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 91 (1), pp. 1-11 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiu018ISSN
0168-6496Publisher version
Language
- en