Eczema linked to rise in bacteria

SCIENTISTS believe a bacterium that lives on the skin may cause eczema flare-ups.

research has previously shown that there’s an increase in bacteria during flare-ups, but until now it hasn’t been clear whether it was a cause or a symptom.

The National Institutes of Health in the u.S. recently analysed skin samples from 11 eczema sufferers during these episodes and those taken when their skin was normal. A particular strain of Staphylococcus aureus dominated when the eczema worsened.

When the researchers put this strain on mice, it caused inflammation, while other bacteria didn’t, reported the journal Science Translational Medicine.