Microbial diversity in leg ulcer and skin in Sickle Cell disease
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- 2Hemominas Foundation, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
- 3Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
- 4René Rachou Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Abstract
Introduction: Leg ulcers are a common, painful, and difficult-to-treat complication of sickle cell disease due to their prolonged healing process. The microbial composition of these wounds remains poorly understood. This study investigated the microbiota diversity in sickle cell disease leg ulcers and associations with laboratory parameters.
Methods: Samples were collected from leg ulcers, intact skin adjacent to the ulcers, and intact skin from healthy controls. Microbiome profiling was performed by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. The laboratory results of patients with sickle cell disease leg ulcers were analyzed alongside the identified taxa using correlation-based analyses.
Results: Microbial diversity was significantly lower in sickle cell disease leg ulcers compared to intact skin. Additionally, leukocytes and mean corpuscular volume were statistically associated with the relative abundance of bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Aeromonas. Staphylococcus spp. was the predominant genus identified in leg ulcers and was negatively associated with Pseudomonas spp., reflecting a dysbiotic microbial profile characterized by taxa commonly associated with chronic wounds.
Conclusions: The observed associations between bacterial taxa and laboratory parameters are exploratory, do not imply causality, and contribute to the characterization of the microbial ecology of sickle cell disease leg ulcers.
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BibTeX
@article{mendesoliveira2026microbial,
title = {{Microbial diversity in leg ulcer and skin in Sickle Cell disease}},
author = {Franciane Mendes-Oliveira and André Rolim Belisário and Marina Lobato Martins and Roberta Cristina Ruedas Martins and Lucas Augusto Moyses Franco and Nazareno Scaccia and Joyce Vanessa da Silva Fonseca and Isabel Cristina Gomes Moura and Valquíria Reis de Souza and Silvia Figueiredo Costa and Ian Valença and Eduarda Bolina-Santos and Fabíola Gomes Mendes and Elizabeth Castro Moreno and Alice Timponi and Jordana Grazziela Alves Coelho dos Reis and Olindo Assis Martins-Filho and Anna Bárbara Carneiro-Proietti and Ester Cerdeira Sabino},
journal = {Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.htct.2026.108550},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.108550},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbial diversity in leg ulcer and skin in Sickle Cell disease
AU - Franciane Mendes-Oliveira
AU - André Rolim Belisário
AU - Marina Lobato Martins
AU - Roberta Cristina Ruedas Martins
AU - Lucas Augusto Moyses Franco
AU - Nazareno Scaccia
AU - Joyce Vanessa da Silva Fonseca
AU - Isabel Cristina Gomes Moura
AU - Valquíria Reis de Souza
AU - Silvia Figueiredo Costa
AU - Ian Valença
AU - Eduarda Bolina-Santos
AU - Fabíola Gomes Mendes
AU - Elizabeth Castro Moreno
AU - Alice Timponi
AU - Jordana Grazziela Alves Coelho dos Reis
AU - Olindo Assis Martins-Filho
AU - Anna Bárbara Carneiro-Proietti
AU - Ester Cerdeira Sabino
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy
DO - 10.1016/j.htct.2026.108550
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.108550
AB - Introduction: Leg ulcers are a common, painful, and difficult-to-treat complication of sickle cell disease due to their prolonged healing process. The microbial composition of these wounds remains poorly understood. This study investigated the microbiota diversity in sickle cell disease leg ulcers and associations with laboratory parameters. Methods: Samples were collected from leg ulcers, intact skin adjacent to the ulcers, and intact skin from healthy controls. Microbiome profiling was performed by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. The laboratory results of patients with sickle cell disease leg ulcers were analyzed alongside the identified taxa using correlation-based analyses. Results: Microbial diversity was significantly lower in sickle cell disease leg ulcers compared to intact skin. Additionally, leukocytes and mean corpuscular volume were statistically associated with the relative abundance of bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Aeromonas. Staphylococcus spp. was the predominant genus identified in leg ulcers and was negatively associated with Pseudomonas spp., reflecting a dysbiotic microbial profile characterized by taxa commonly associated with chronic wounds. Conclusions: The observed associations between bacterial taxa and laboratory parameters are exploratory, do not imply causality, and contribute to the characterization of the microbial ecology of sickle cell disease leg ulcers.
SN - 2531-1379
SN - 2531-1387
ER -