Skin microbiome can fight STD

A diverse community of microorganisms, collectively known as skin microbiome are said to fight infections caused by chancroid, a new international study suggest. Chancroid is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) found commonly in the developing world especially linked to enhanced HIV transmission.

The findings suggest that skin microbiome can influence the outcomes of a bacterial infection, as confirmed by IANS.

"If the bacteria in the resolvers are actually contributing to the host defense, you could think about using bacteria as a probiotic to help prevent infection or you could use the microbiome to identify people at risk for certain infections," said lead study author Stanley Spinola, professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, US.

In the new study, researchers evaluated the skin microbiome of eight individuals before, during, and after inoculation with Haemophilus ducreyi - the bacteria that cause chancroid - on the arm.

Infected individuals can either clear the infection or develop pustules that eventually form abscesses.

The investigators compared the skin microbiome in patients who resolved their H. ducreyi infection to those who did not.

The researchers discovered that preinfection skin microbiomes of pustule formers and resolvers have distinct community structures that change in response to the progression of H. ducreyi infection.

The study was published in the journal mBio.