The more scientists learn about the body's community of bacteria, the more they believe that the human microbiome plays an important role in our overall health. For example, research published earlier this week suggests that a specific pattern of high bacterial diversity in the vagina during pregnancy increases a woman’s risk of giving birth prematurely.
Despite these and other insightful findings, researchers have a long way to go to understand the composition of our internal microbial ecosystems. As Keisha Findley, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute says in the video below, "We’re only just beginning and there is so much more to explore."
Findley and colleagues are working to survey all of the fungi and bacteria living on healthy human skin and develop a baseline to determine how these microbial communities may influence skin conditions such as acne, athlete’s foot, skin ulcers and eczema. Watch the LabTV video above to learn more about her work.
Previously: Drugs for bugs: Industry seeks small molecules to target, tweak and tune up our gut microbes, A look at our disappearing microbes, Exploring the microbes that inhabit our bodies and Diverse microbes discovered in healthy lungs shed new light on cystic fibrosis
Via NIH Director's Blog
