A BUG'S LIFE; 112,000 bacteria on our skin.

Byline: John von Radowitz

WE might think we're spotlessly clean - but our skin is actually crawling with bugs.

Up to 112,000 bacteria live on a healthy person, a study has found.

Researchers discovered that different kinds of bacteria congregate in different body areas.

Bugs under the arms are more similar to each other than those on the forearm.

i S cientists analysed microbial DNA from skin samples taken from 20 sites on the bodies of volunteers.

They identified more than 112,000 bacteria, finding bugs belonging to 205 groups.

This diversity was much greater than had previously been assumed.The most variation was found on the forearm, which yielded 44 species on average.

Skin behind the ears was the least diverse, with an average of 19 species.

Study leader Dr Julia Segre, of the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US, said: "Our work has laid an essential foundation for researchers aiming to treat or prevent skin diseases.

"We hope this will speed efforts to understand factors n volved in eczema, psoriasis, acne and other disorders affecting the skin."

The experts, whose findings were reported in the journal Science, chose three microenvironments for the study - oily, moist and dry.

Oily sites included those between the eyebrows, beside the nose, inside the ear, the upper chest and back.

Moist areas were inside the nose, the armpit, the inner elbow, between the middle and ring fingers, the side of the groin, the top fold of the buttocks, behind the knee, the bottom of the foot and the navel.

Dry sites included the inside surface of the midforearm, the palm of the hand and the buttock.

Researchers found that dry and moist skin had a broader range of microbes than did oily skin.

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VARIETY: Bugs like different body areas