Increased diversity of Malassezia species on the skin of Parkinson's disease patients
Han et al./Frontiers/2023
Why It Matters
This caught my attention because it's a potential noninvasive way to detect Parkinson's early — just swab the skin instead of complex brain imaging. The connection makes sense: Parkinson's patients have documented changes in skin oil (sebum) composition, and these yeasts feed on those oils. If the pattern holds up in larger studies, dermatologists might one day spot Parkinson's risk before motor symptoms appear. Not a doctor. Just a guy who reads the papers.
Key Findings
- Parkinson's patients averaged 3.5 Malassezia species per person versus 2.9 in healthy controls — a statistically significant 21% increase in fungal diversity
- M. slooffiae appeared in 63.8% of Parkinson's patients but only 29.1% of controls, with 9.4x higher odds of being present in people with Parkinson's
- M. sympodialis was found in 74.5% of Parkinson's patients compared to 54.2% of controls — a 37% relative increase in prevalence
- The two most common species — M. restricta and M. globosa — were equally prevalent in both groups, suggesting specific species shift rather than overall yeast overgrowth
- The study used sebum swabs and DNA analysis from 95 participants (47 with Parkinson's, 48 healthy controls) to identify yeast species