Staphylococcus necessary for normal skin healing, eczema and psoriasis

Here's another reason not to overdo antibacterial hygiene in daily life, and a fascinating example of the critical importance of the trillions of bacteria that cohabit our bodies. This paper just published in Nature Medicine explains how staphylococcal species are necessary for the skin to have both a normal reaction to injury and dampen inflammation in skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis. They conclude: "To our knowledge, these findings show for the first time that the skin epithelium requires TLR3 [receptor activated by a staphylococcal chemical] for normal inflammation after wounding and that the microflora can modulate specific cutaneous inflammatory responses."