Metagenomic sequencing of the skin microbiota of the scalp predicting the risk of surgical site infections following surgery of traumatic brain injury in sub-Saharan Africa

This prospective cohort study investigated the relationship between scalp skin microbiota composition and the risk of surgical site infections (SSI) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) surgery in sub-Saharan Africa. The study enrolled 57 patients scheduled for TBI surgery, with sterile skin swabs taken from the surrounding normal skin of the head. Patients were monitored postoperatively for up to three months to detect SSI occurrences. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze skin microbiota composition at the genus level, comparing patients who developed SSI with those who did not. The study population was predominantly male (89.5%) with a mean age of 26.5 years, mostly from urban areas in Uganda and victims of assault.