Bacteria contribute to immune suppression in skin after repeated schistosome exposure
Friday, May 15, 2015 - 14:30
in Health & Medicine
Our two square meters of skin act as a defensive barrier against environmental pathogens but is also covered by beneficial commensal bacteria. A study explores this delicate balance and reports that when schistosome parasites repeatedly penetrate the skin, they are cloaked in skin bacteria, leading to a tightly controlled and limited immune response, due in part to this cloaking mechanism.