#Microbiotiful - Belly Button

Molds such as Alternaria thrive in warm, moist environments—the type of conditions that prevail in the belly button, with its skin folds and accumulated lint and dirt. What’s more, the dead skin cells and oily sebum trapped inside ensure there is plenty of organic material to feed on. Although Alternaria are primarily at home in natural environments in the open, where they can cause damage to crops and plants, they also infect humans with a weakened immune system and are common allergens.

Staphylococci were found to be among the most common microorganisms in the navels of the Belly Button Biodiversity Project’s volunteers, in particular Staphylococcus epidermidis. This species of spherical bacteria also lives on the skin (as its name suggests) and mucous membranes of humans but usually doesn’t cause problems. Its close relative Staphylococcus aureus, however, is different. It is a major cause of dangerous infections worldwide, particularly among people with a weak immune system, but much rarer in the navel than S. epidermidis.