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. 1972 Jan 15;1(5793):136–140. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5793.136

Skin Bacteria and Skin Disinfection Reconsidered

Sydney Selwyn, Harold Ellis
PMCID: PMC1787124  PMID: 5007838

Abstract

Large discrepancies in the available data on skin microbiology stimulated investigations of the number, interactions, and location of commensals and the true efficiency of disinfection by using skin biopsy, culture of frozen sections, and other methods.

Most current procedures were less than 0·5% as sensitive as the biopsy method described. This gave mean bacterial counts ranging from 4,400/cm2 on the breast to 400,000/cm2 in the axillae. An iodine preparation removed 95% of accessible organisms, but about 20% of bacteria were protected by follicles, crevices, and lipids. Commensals in over 20% of people produced antibiotics against a wide range of pathogens. Conversely, “satellitism” was demonstrable in 12% of people.

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Selected References

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