Exploring the skin microbiome in health and disease

The skin is our biggest organ and a primary protective barrier from pathogens. The microbiome of this highly varied environment is now being described in unprecedented detail, revealing complex multispecies communities that play important roles in skin health, the development of the immune system and in wound healing. This collection aims to bring together knowledge of what these microbes are, how they colonise this often nutrient poor and challenging niche, and how they work together to suppress the growth of pathogens, while in themselves also being potential accidental pathogens if the skin barrier is broken.