Stability of the skin microbiome during short-term in situ and in vitro conditions: Foundational support for the potential to trace skin sites and identify individuals

Key Points

• Skin microbiome stability remains consistent across different environments, indicating strong potential for tracing.
• Characterization of microbiomes involves analyzing bacterial diversity at distinct skin sites in both in situ and in vitro conditions.
• This observational analysis allows for investigating the unique traits of skin microbiomes associated with individuals over time.
• Findings suggest that tracing skin microbiomes could be a valuable method for identifying and differentiating individuals.