Say Hello to my Little Friends

You are not alone. Look at your hand. You have billions of friends on your hand.

These are called normal microbiota, and they are harmless organisms which colonize all the space they can find on our bodies. It's a great evolutionary relationship- we provide warmth and moisture, they colonize our body so that disease microbes can't. Basically, these microbes are a wonderful form of protection against disease germs, simply by being there. Think Times Square. In order to infect a body, disease germs must first find an entrance, and that's harder to do with a whole bunch of normal microbiota running around. (Especially if these normal microbiota stand at the top of the stairs.)

Just a bit of political correctness: these are microbes, not germs. To call these microbes germs would be like calling a Pakistani Indian. However, unlike 'Indian,' 'germs' also has negative connotations, and I'm sure your little microbiota would appreciate you calling them by a positive name. They are helping you. It's the best thing to do in order to appreciate them, unless you want to have a bit of fun and try to name them all.

Does washing our hands kill the little guys? Yes, but the microbes on our arms are able to multiply and completely cover our hands right after they are washed. Your hands are never completely microbe-free, and it could be dangerous if they were. Washing your hands may be the most important medical discovery in human history, but it also removes our protective layer of microbes which help to block out disease microbes.

That's why it's important to not overwash hands- overwashing can lead to degradation of normal microbiota, making it easier for disease microbes to cultivate.

"I'm talking to my normal microbiota" is also a great thing to say to someone who catches you talking to yourself.

Thoughts or comments on normal microbiota? On microbe feelings? On Times Square?