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While some people spend a lifetime trying
to hide the fact that they produce sweat, new study findings
suggest that the bodily excretion may
be a lifesaver. It seems that sweat contains a
potent germ-fighting agent that may lend a hand in fighting
off infections.
What's more, German researchers have
isolated the gene responsible for the compound. Investigators
dubbed the gene -- and the protein it produces -- dermicidin.
It can probably limit an infection very early.
Sweating
is in this way a first line of defense against infectious
agents.
It seems that dermicidin is manufactured
in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat and transported
to the surface of the skin, the report indicates.
This is the first antimicrobial agent
found which is produced by cells in the human skin and which
is permanently produced -- this means that it provides a constant
protection against invading microorganisms,.
The investigators found that dermicidin
was active against many different types of bacteria, including
Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, which are normal
inhabitants of the intestines that can infect wounds or contaminate
food, as well as Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of
skin infections), and Candida albicans (a fungus that is another
cause of infections).
The findings indicate that human
sweat contains at least one antimicrobial protein, which
may play a role in the regulation of human skin microbes.
Nature
Immunology online December 2001;10.1038/ni732
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