Human skin is a zoo of bacteria, scientists say

The first detailed survey of the microbial "zoo" living on the human body has found far more species than expected, with a significant proportion being new to science.

A molecular technique has been developed by scientists that can identify each individual bacteria living on the surface of the skin.

They found that on average people have 182 species of bacteria living at any one time on their forearms, and about 8 per cent of these have never been formally described by scientists.

Martin Blaser, a microbiologist at New York University School of Medicine, said it was the first time the human skin had been analysed with such a powerful forensic technique.