Lay summary
New Zealand has some of the highest cases of eczema and skin infections in the developed world. The microbiome plays a critical role in the development of eczema in early childhood. Escherichia coli has been associated with an increased risk of developing infant atopic dermatitis and it is its strain variation that drives this clinical difference. E. coli is associated with health outcomes that disproportionately affect Pacific children. Analysing the sequencing data from a well-phenotyped cohort, I will quantify the number of unique strains of E. coli within individuals and identify if there is an atopic dermatitis-associated phenotype. This could potentially be used as a therapeutic target. Furthermore, I will be investigating if there is a difference in the unique strains between the Pacific Infant microbiomes and the microbiome of Maori and Caucasians.