The Bacterial Genetic Pathway Reason You May Stink

Thursday, April 2, 2015 - 23:20 in Biology & Nature

Body odor is a reality of daily life. The smell is caused by bacteria on the skin breaking down naturally secreted molecules contained within sweat. Researchers from Unilever and the University of York have studied the underarm microbiome and identified a unique set of enzymes in the bacterium Staphylococcus hominis that is effective at breaking down sweat molecules into compounds known as thioalcohols, an important component of the characteristic body odor smell. read more

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