Here’s something to think about during your next shower: Your body is basically a motel for millions of uninvited, freeloading bacteria that have camped out on your skin. But before you rush out and buy another magnum of antibacterial body wash, consider this: According to new research published in Science online, those millions of “microbiata,” unpleasant as they are to ponder, are a good thing—and they may protect you from infection, parasites, and possibly even common inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. “We found that skin bacteria directly contribute to protective immunity,” says Shruti Naik, a doctoral candidate at University of Pennsylvania and a research fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease’s Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, which conducted the research. According to Naik, “germ-free” mice—meaning rodents without any bacteria in or on their bodies—were “not able to defend against infection in the skin.” But when the germ-free mice were given some, well, germs, their skin regained the ability to fend off invaders. “These findings indicate that [certain bacteria] on the skin is essential for protection.” Read More..