Gut dysbiosis is associated with the development of alopecia areata

Alopecia areata (AA) is a highly prevalent autoimmune disease (AD) leading to hair loss in affected individuals, in which both genetic and environmental factors likely play a role. Associations between changes in the microbiome composition and many ADs have been reported, however, a characterization of the role of gut microbiota in the development of AA has not been undertaken. To investigate the functional relevance of gut microbiota to AA development in vivo, we depleted the gut microbiome in the C3H/HeJ mouse model of AA with broad-spectrum antibiotics.