Skin bacteria in gut as biomarkers of systemic malodor & PATM

Today, Irene Gabashvili, PhD., MEBO Research Scientific Director and Principal Investigator of the MEBO Clinical Trial, "Microbial Basis of Systemic Malodor and PATM Conditions (PATM), NCT03582826(2018-2020), published a paper on the findings of this study in the JMIR Dermatology Publications.

A total of 112 individuals from 22 countries consented to participate, of which 84 fully participated in the study.

The study referenced in the article, "Cutaneous Bacteria in the Gut Microbiome as Biomarkers of Systemic Malodor and People Are Allergic to Me (PATM) Conditions: Insights From a Virtually Conducted Clinical Trial," suggests that body and/or breath odor was increased when the levels of bacteria previously associated with skin body odor were significantly elevated in the gut samples of the study. Gut samples indicated an elevated "combination of species from Anaerococcus, Corynebacterium, Campylobacter, and Propionibacterium genera..."

About half of the participants had previously tested for trimethylaminuria (TMAU), and about half of those tested were diagnosed with the disorder.

A total of 112 individuals from 22 countries consented to participate, of which 84 fully participated in the study. About half of the participants had previously tested for trimethylaminuria (TMAU), and about half of those tested were diagnosed with the disorder. “Of the 84 study volunteers, 41 (49%; 41/78, 53% of MEBO/PATM cohort) tested for the odor-producing disorder TMAU, with 13 positives for primary TMAU and 8 for secondary TMAU, a nongenetic form arising from dysbiosis in the gut bacteria.”

Dr. Gabashvili discusses her finding in her Aurametrix site, Olfactics and Olfactory Diagnostics: New Paper Reveals Insights into Bacteria that Live...: What do MEBO (metabolic body odor), PATM ("People are Allergic to ME" condition) and TMAU (trimethylaminuria) have in common...

Irene gives us the following page in her Aurametrix Blog, which shows the last 3-4 digits of MEBO participants' IDs. This way they can recognize themselves in the "vector field" of results. These 22 participants had at least one pair of "better" and "worse" MEBO/PATM symptoms. The paper has more figures with results of the remaining participants, analyzed in several different ways.

Quotes from the paper:

Conclusions: ...Our work paves the way for the development of cost-effective diagnostics of MEBO and PATM conditions based on an at-home stool test...
Another implication of this work is that individuals with a high abundance of cutaneous malodor bacteria in the gut might benefit from reducing levels of these bacteria. We note that one of the common causes of both halitosis and axillar odor is a zinc deficiency. Zinc oxide is known to decrease populations of bacteria discussed in this work when applied externally [41], attenuating self-perceived malodor. Zinc also contributes to the reduction of halitosis [42]. However, not all people with MEBO and PATM are zinc deficient, and it is important to retain certain levels of cutaneous odor-producing bacteria in the body, as they prevent some skin, ear, and respiratory infections

REFERENCE:

Gabashvili IS
Cutaneous Bacteria in the Gut Microbiome
as Biomarkers of Systemic Malodor
and People Are Allergic to Me (PATM) Conditions:
Insights From a Virtually Conducted Clinical Trial

JMIR Dermatol 2020;3(1):e10508

URL: https://derma.jmir.org/2020/1/e10508
doi:10.2196/10508
Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03582826
International Registered Report Identifier
(IRRID):RR2-10.1101/2020.08.21.20179242

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

We are most grateful to MEBO's Scientific Director, Irene Gabashvili, PhD., Principal Investigator of this study, for offering her pro-bono professional through the years for this and all other MEBO Research clinical trials.Our profound appreciation to uBiome for the research grant they awarded MEBO for this study as well as to their representative, Melissa Agnello for processing the samples. We appreciate the professional psychological guidance that Crissan Rosalia, MEBO Mental Health Director, Health Psychologist, MSc., with articles she has written for our MEBO community around the world. These can be found in the MEBO MENTAL HEALTH BLOG.