(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists from the US have found that removing the foreskin can change the number of communities of bacteria and fungi on the penis.
However, some microorganisms are associated with sexually transmitted infections, so it is possible that circumcision can protect against certain types of sexually transmitted diseases and even cancer.
The microbiome of our body is something that has been of interest to many scientists in recent years. At the same time, the microorganisms that inhabit the penis are much less studied than those in the intestines or vagina.
It is believed that circumcision protects men from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Some research actually supports this hypothesis: for example, circumcision has been shown to protect against bacterial vaginosis, syphilis, herpes, and HIV to some extent.
However, the results regarding HIV are contradictory: according to some works, there is some protection against the immunodeficiency virus, while others say that there is none.
It is also unknown whether these findings apply to homosexuals, since the studies were conducted on heterosexual men.
In addition, the results could be distorted by the fact that all subjects were sexually active.
Scientists from New York University, Cleveland Medical Center and the Center for Medical Mycology (USA) decided to approach the issue from a different angle and conducted a study involving 11 male children whose foreskin was circumcised.
The penile microbiome was analyzed before and after the procedure. It turned out that before and after circumcision, the microbiome of the penis in children changed.
After the procedure and healing of the penis, the number of bacteria and fungi living on this organ was significantly reduced.
This is especially true of anaerobic bacteria, which are considered potential inducers of inflammatory processes and cancer.
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