title: Understanding the role of Propionibacterium acnes in acne vulgaris: The critical importance of skin sampling methodologies.
abstract: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin condition classified by the Global Burden of Disease Study as the eighth most prevalent disease worldwide. The pathophysiology of the condition has been extensively studied, with an increase in sebum production, abnormal keratinization of the pilosebaceous follicle, and an inflammatory immune response all implicated in its etiology. One of the most disputed points, however, is the role of the gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Propionibacterium acnes in the development of acne, particularly when this organism is also found in normal sebaceous follicles of healthy skin. Against this background, we now describe the different sampling strategies that have been adopted for qualitative and quantitative study of P acnes within intact hair follicles of the skin and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of such methodologies for investigating the role of P acnes in the development of acne.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biosciences/Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Omer
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, C-TRIC Building, Altnagelvin Area Hospital, University of Ulster, Londonderry, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biosciences/Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address: oleg.alexeyev@umu.se.
authors.forename: Oleg A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Alexeyev
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000382:microbiology*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D011425:Propionibacterium acnes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*