Concept explainers
To tell:
The reason for the inhospitable surface of the skin for most microbes.
Introduction:
Skin is flexible, marvelous, tough membrane. It is also known as “cutaneous membrane”. The function of the skin is to prevent the body from dehydration, regulation of internal body temperature through sweat production and constriction and dilation of the blood vessels.
Explanation of Solution
The skin has many chemical and physical properties that allow it to be a significant barrier against microbial invasion. It limits the disease and infections unless it has been broken, burned, cut, or wounded in some other way.
The surface of the skin is inhospitable for microbes due to sweat and oil production. After the evaporation of sweat, the salt remains that act as antimicrobial also the sebum (oil) from the sebaceous gland act as antimicrobial, preventing the microbial growth.
Thus, the outmost layer of the skin is made up of keratinized cells which are covered with salt and oil acting as a significant barrier to the invasion of the microbes.
The surface of the sin is an inhospitable environment for the growth of the microbes due to the presence of the salt and the oil that act as a barrier.
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Chapter 19 Solutions
MASTERING MICROBIOLOGY BODY SYSTEMS