I have always been fascinated by the relationship between our skin conditions and diseases and the skin microbiota population. On July 26, 2012, Science Daily published an article titled “Protective Role of Skin Microbiota Described.” Here is the link to the article:
As the largest organ of the body, the skin represents a major site of interaction with microbes in the environment. It has been known for a long time that there are millions of naturally occurring commensal bacteria in the skin -- collectively known as the skin microbiota. However, the role of those of the skin microbiota hasn’t been clear. Recently, a research team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally live in the skin may help protect the body from infection.
In a Science article published on July 26, using mouse models, the NIH team reported that commensals contribute to protective immunity by interacting with the immune cells in the skin.
The investigators colonized germ-free mice (mice bred with no naturally occurring microbes in the gut or skin) with the human skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis. The team observed that colonizing the mice with this one species of good bacteria enabled an immune cell in the mouse skin to produce a cell-signaling molecule needed to protect against harmful microbes. The researchers subsequently infected both colonized and non-colonized germ-free mice with a parasite. Mice that were not colonized with the bacteria did not mount an effective immune response to the parasite; mice that were colonized did.
This study provides new insights into the protective role of skin commensals and demonstrates that skin health relies on the interaction of commensals and immune cells. Further research is needed, say the authors, to determine whether skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis may be caused or exacerbated by an imbalance of skin commensals and potentially harmful microbes that influence the skin and its immune cells.
When faced with my son’s eczema, I tried in the past to figure out if the skin microbiota has anything to do with the condition. I remember that, when I was little, my grandma sometimes asked whoever was suffering from a skin condition to apply the person’s own saliva on the problem place. It worked—and I could never figure out why. Now, thinking back, my bet that that, the microbiota in the saliva might sever to repopulation and restore the skin microbiota at the problem place and therefore treat the condition effectively.
Thanks for reading.
Connie
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