Many types of bacteria are found on the skin

Human skin has a variety of different bacteria depending on the skin type such as dry skin, moist skin or oily skin.

This was discovered by genetic researchers of the human body research project. This project studies populations of bacteria living in and on the human body. Part of this project focuses on studying the species of bacteria that live on the skin.

Molecular researcher Julia Segre of the Human Genome Research Institute and also the author of a detailed study published in the May 29 issue of Science, said the latest research has explored. A bacterial network at 20 different points on the skin. Type of bacteria depends on the 'ecosystem of the skin'.

'We assume that human skin is like a desert with lots of arid areas but then there are streams or folds on the surface. And where those streams are, the numbers are much richer , 'Serge said.

The disturbance of bacterial balance on the skin can lead to some strange bacteria that appear on the skin and contribute to an increased risk of human infection. At the same time, however, researchers also hope to find a way to maintain a good and stable bacterial population on the skin once they understand how 'stable' and 'good' are. in most people.

Skin ecosystem

Dry, moist or oily areas on human skin create different habitats for bacteria.A few places like the navel, nose are fertile places and many types of bacteria can live together.

The researchers analyzed 10 healthy people and found that the most stable bacterial population is located in the ear and nose area while the population has the biggest difference behind the knee. They also discovered that oily skin has the most stable bacterial population while dry and moist skin has a much less stable bacterial population.

Segre geneticist said: 'Knowing that the inner elbow bacteria is similar to the bacteria behind the knee can give us many clues to discover common skin diseases'

'Usually if a child has eczema, the eczema will develop in the knee. This began to bring us to the thought of why the disease may appear in those areas of the skin, ' Segre geneticist told science magazine.

Human forearm is the most diverse place of bacteria with an average of 44 different types of bacteria while the ear has an average of 19 types of bacteria.

The types of bacteria that live in separate areas on the same body are very different. Meanwhile, in different people, the type of bacteria in the same place has quite a similarity. For example, on the arm of this person there are these types of bacteria on the arms of other people also exist similar bacteria.

Organic society

Researchers already know that the human body is like an organic society, where every cell of the body has 1 bacterial cell.However, those bacteria are still a question that has not been answered yet.

Traditional bacterial culture methods use prototypes to develop microbial clusters in the lab. The problem is that no one can be sure that the population cultured in the laboratory actually reflects exactly how the bacteria reside on human skin.

Segre said 'in the laboratory, sometimes the ratio of bacteria is 1: 500, but at the same position on the body the ratio is 1: 5.'

Using gene sequencing technology, Segre and colleagues identified 112,000 bacterial gene sequences, belonging to 205 different bacteria families. This is the first step towards establishing a standard of bacterial populations on the human body.

This illustration depicts 20 points on the human body that are used to analyze the genetic arrangement of bacteria. (Photo: Jane Ades, NHGRI)

Naturally afraid of vacuum

In the bacterial population, there can be a dramatic change with the rise of modern drugs. Antibiotics can kill both 'harmful' and 'beneficial' populations of bacteria on human skin.

The mass destruction of beneficial bacteria that opens the door for strange bacteria to attack and can cause health problems due to the inherent bacterial population has lost balance.

'No matter how much we like to bathe, we need to eliminate the thought that we should be sterile.' Segre said. 'Naturally afraid of vacuum.'

Segre further explains how even the definition of 'harmful' bacteria depends on whether the bacteria is in the right place. For example, common bacteria that enter the body during a hospital stay can cause infections.

'Bacteria can be normal or beneficial in one environment but harmful in another,' Segre said . 'However, the goal of most of these bacteria is to exist in harmony with us.'

Future

The next step in the human microbial population project involves expanding the bacteria sample on the skin. Finally, the bacteria on the skin of a healthy person can vary greatly from the bacterial population that resides on children or the elderly.

Bacteria can even be different for animal keepers in homes, or people

Urban growth with rural growers. Additional research even tries to understand how babies from the sterile environment in their womb reach the beneficial bacterial population at birth.

At the same time, researchers expect their search results will soon help doctors treat patients with different diseases, or even kill resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus. Methicillin resistance (MRSA).

Segre notes that 'we are trying our best to ensure that the results of this study are applied in clinics.'

Segre said 'really want to know what has developed on our skin before antibiotics.'

Future solutions can be found based on a unified understanding of the 'ecosystem of the body' , and especially when researchers begin to understand how modern medicine has changed. bacterial balance.