A simple model for the total microbial biomass under occlusion of healthy human skin

Abstract

Although human skin is a dry and acidic environment, there is an abundance of microflora that reside on its surface and are able to colonize it. If the skin environment is altered by an occlusive procedure, the quantity and composition of cutaneous bacteria changes drastically. Currently there are no mathematical models that attempt to describe these changes. A non-autonomous logistic equation is used to model the total bacterial biomass during occlusion. The skin environment is represented as a time-dependent carrying capacity in the model. The changes of Carbon Dioxide Emission Rate which affect the microbial biomass has been integrated into the carrying capacity. The results have been compared with published experimental data and found to fit well.