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This study examined the hand microbiome in people with and without eczema history and tested how commercial liquid soaps affect these bacterial communities. While Staphylococcus was the dominant genus in both groups, species distribution differed between them, and liquid soaps showed bactericidal effects against some commensal bacteria species with varying sensitivity patterns. The research suggests liquid soap can alter hand microbial communities, though a direct causal link to hand eczema remains unestablished.
Why it matters
The findings could help explain why frequent hand washing is associated with increased eczema prevalence and may inform the development of gentler soap formulations that preserve beneficial skin bacteria. This research is particularly relevant for healthcare workers and others who wash hands frequently.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Hand eczema has been described as having an increased prevalence in persons with increased frequency of hand washing. This study investigated the differences in the hand microbiome of persons with and without a history of eczema and secondly the sensitivity of these microbes to commercial liquid soap as a potential trigger for eczema flares. The study identified Staphylococcus to be the most populus genus on the hands in both groups, but the distribution of species was different. Additionally, there was no difference in the number of soaps that produced zones of inhibition but there were some differences in the overall sensitivity to the different soaps tested. Overall, it was determined that liquid soap can cause bactericidal effects on some species of the commensal microbiome, but further work is required to determine if this could be the cause of hand eczema.
Source: The hand microbiome is sensitive to topical antibiotics and has varying sensitivity to liquid soaps