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What can trigger an itch? Scientists have found a new culprit [View all]
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/11/22/1214507233/what-can-trigger-an-itch-scientists-have-found-a-new-culpritWhat can trigger an itch? Scientists have found a new culprit
NOVEMBER 22, 2023 11:09 AM ET
HEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Nell Greenfieldboyce
If you've got itchy skin, it could be that a microbe making its home on your body has produced a little chemical that's directly acting on your skin's nerve cells and triggering the urge to scratch.
That's the implication of some new research that shows how a certain bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, can release an enzyme that generates an itchy feeling.
What's more, a drug that interferes with this effect can stop the itch in laboratory mice, according to a new report in the journal Cell.
"That's exciting because it's a drug that's already approved for another condition, but maybe it could be useful for treating itchy skin diseases like eczema," says Isaac Chiu, a scientist at Harvard Medical School who studies interactions between microbes and nerve cells.
[...]
NOVEMBER 22, 2023 11:09 AM ET
HEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Nell Greenfieldboyce
If you've got itchy skin, it could be that a microbe making its home on your body has produced a little chemical that's directly acting on your skin's nerve cells and triggering the urge to scratch.
That's the implication of some new research that shows how a certain bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, can release an enzyme that generates an itchy feeling.
What's more, a drug that interferes with this effect can stop the itch in laboratory mice, according to a new report in the journal Cell.
"That's exciting because it's a drug that's already approved for another condition, but maybe it could be useful for treating itchy skin diseases like eczema," says Isaac Chiu, a scientist at Harvard Medical School who studies interactions between microbes and nerve cells.
[...]
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