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German scientists have suggested that sweat contains a potent germ-fighting agent known as dermicidin that may help fight infections. The investigators found that dermicidin was active against many different types of bacteria. These include Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, which are normal inhabitants of the intestines that can infect wounds or contaminate food; Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of skin infections); and Candida albicans (a fungus that is another cause of infections).

Sweating is in this way a first line of defense against infectious agents. It seems that dermicidin is manufactured in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat and transported to the surface of the skin, the report indicates. This is the first antimicrobial agent found which is produced by cells in the human skin and which is permanently produced -- this means that it provides a constant protection against invading microorganisms.

Thus Nature Immunology online (December 2001;10.1038/ni732) noted that the findings indicate that human sweat contains at least one antimicrobial protein, which may play a role in the regulation of human skin microbes.