Why are our hands such a rich environment for microbes?

For this lab, you will write a lab report on the report form.  A zero score will be entered for submissions that do not use the required report form and/or do not follow the directions.

Our skin is the first line of nonspecific immune defense. There are several forms of protection, such as lysosomes in our sweat and the natural biome on our skin. This lab focuses on our hands because we use our hands to touch objects.

The microbes on the objects we touch are then introduced into our bodies by rubbing our eyes, licking fingers, rubbing or picking our nose, or through a cut in the skin. People are encouraged to wash their hands regularly to decrease the transmission of microbes from our hands.

Why are our hands such a rich environment for microbes? First, there is the structure of our skin. The outer layer, stratum corneum, is made up of dead cells. Microbes live off of the dead skin cells. The lower layers of the skin keep the microbes from entering the body.