Eczema Skin Disorder 2017: Transplanting 'Good' Bacteria To Kill Staph
The treatment for eczema might lay right underneath your own skin.
Researchers tested 10,000 colonies of bacteria found on skin to figure out which had ‘good’ bacteria and how often they are found in both healthy skin and skin with eczema – a condition that causes itchy and inflamed skin, usually on the arms, legs, and cheeks.
Read: Eczema Home Remedies: 6 Natural Treatments To Alleviate Red, Itchy Skin
They were able to rid the patients’ arms of Staphylococcus aureus, or more commonly known as 'staph,' which makes eczema worse. This was made possible by using the ‘good’ bacteria found on their skin, growing it, and then applying it to the patients' bodies by mixing it with off-the-shelf-lotion. Their findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.
“It appears that people with this disorder will need to have it reapplied because their body does not naturally promote the growth of these organisms,” Richard Gallo, professor and chair of the Department of UC San Diego School of Medicine, said in a press release. “The good thing is this is easy to do because it’s just a cream.”
The researchers conclude that it is clear the ‘good’ bacteria is associated with eczema, but there’s not a clear distinction between cause and effect. Their findings provide optimism for future research to hopefully develop a long-term treatment for eczema that is safe and effective.
Current treatments for eczema include topical antibiotics that come with side effects.
Atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, mainly begins in infancy and childhood, and affects about 30 percent of people in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health.
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