ISLAMABAD          -      Researchers from the University of York have previously shown that only a few bacteria in your armpit are the real culprits behind BO. Now the same team, in collaboration with Unilever scientists, has gone a step further to discover a unique “BO enzyme” found only within these bacteria and responsible for the characteristic armpit odor. This new research highlights how particular bacteria have evolved a specialized enzyme to produce some of the key molecules we recognize as BO. Co-first author Dr. Michelle Rudden from the group of Prof. Gavin Thomas in the University of York’s Department of Biology, said: “Solving the structure of this ‘BO enzyme’ has allowed us to pinpoint the molecular step inside certain bacteria that makes the odor molecules. This is a key advancement in understanding how body odor works, and will enable the development of targeted inhibitors that stop BO production at source without disrupting the armpit microbiome.” Your armpit hosts a diverse community of bacteria that is part of your natural skin microbiome.

This research highlights Staphylococcus hominis as one of the main microbes behind body odor.