Not all bacteria bad for acne

Summary:
     Researchers now believe that some strains of bacteria that were previously thought to cause acne are actually beneficial to skin. Acne is mainly caused by Propionibacterium (P.acne), or so previously thought. According to Huiying Li and a few partners from the David Geffen School of Medicine, some strains of P. acne are actually beneficial to your skin. They made an experiment in which the bacteria from the noses of people with and without acne were tested. After looking at the bacterial DNA, the team found that both people with and without acne had around the same amount of P. acnes living on their skin. However, they also found that people with acne contained RT4 and RT5 strains of P. acne, while people with clear skin contained a different strain of P. acne, RT6. This may lead to better acne-fighting medications because these medications can specifically target RT4 and RT5 strains, while leaving the RT6 strain alone.
Relevance:
     This is relevant to what we have learned in class because we have learned about bacteria, and the structures and niches of various bacteria. The bacteria that was tested, P. acne, lives on human skin, and it is usually targeted by various acne medications. However, since scientists have found that a certain strain of P. acne is beneficial to human skin, a better acne medication would be one that lowers the levels of bad P. acne, but boosts the numbers of good P. acne. This is similar to the term 3 lab, but with a twist. Not only do scientists have to find an antibiotic to battle RT4 and RT5 strains of P. acne, but they also must try to find an antibiotic that boosts levels of the RT6 strain. Hopefully, when scientists figure out antibiotics to help boost/lower these strains, acne will become less of a nuisance for teens.

Article Title: Not all bacteria bad for acne
Author: Gisela Telis
Date Published: 3/3/2013
Link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/8378322/Not-all-bacteria-bad-for-acne