Me, myself, and 182 of my closest friends

No human walks alone, according to a recent finding that skin harbors at least 182 species of bacteria, many of which were previously unknown.

Researchers liken human skin — the body's largest organ — to one of the world's last unexplored domains. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, represents the first molecular exploration of this largely uncharted realm, according to the authors.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the human body is the home to thousands of species of microbes, many times for years, decades, or for our entire lifespan," coauthor Martin Blaser told Discovery News. . . .

"These types of surveys, whether conducted in the gut, mouth, or skin, are revealing a heretofore unappreciated level of biodiversity associated with our bodies," said Jeffrey Gordon, director of the Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University's School of Medicine.

He added, "An inspiring or sobering thought: As adults we have 10 times more microbial cells than human cells, and perhaps 100 times more genes embedded in the genomes of our microbial partners than in our own human genome."

Posted by David on February 6, 2007 3:18 PM