Odor-eating bacteria found in mouth

LONDON, July 26 (UPI) -- British researchers have isolated bacteria that mop up smelly compounds in the mouth linked to bad breath.

The discovery could lead to a natural treatment for bad breath and smelly feet.

Ann Wood and her colleagues at Kings College in London isolated odor-eating methylotrophic bacteria from the tongue, tooth plaques and gum edges of volunteers.

Wood said that this is the first time that the odor-eating bacteria have been recognized as part of the mouth's normal micro flora.

The research was published in the August issue of Environmental Microbiology.