2.2. Factors Associated with Diversity of the Preterm-Infant Skin Microbiome
We tested the association between various participant-level factors and alpha diversity (within sample diversity) using linear mixed models. Bacterial richness (Chao1) in axilla samples was lower than that in groin samples (Bacterial richness was lower on day 7 (We also analyzed the association between the total duration of antibiotic therapy, prior to each sampling time point, and alpha diversity. Lower Shannon diversity index was similar to prior antibiotic treatment (