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Endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes: an easily ignored pathogen

Sung-Ching Pan1, Jann-Tay Wang, Po-Ren Hsueh

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, No. 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan, ROC.

The Journal of Infection
|November 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Propionibacterium acnes, often dismissed as contamination, is an emerging pathogen. This case highlights P. acnes causing prosthetic valve endocarditis, confirmed by genetic sequencing and DNA fingerprinting.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Propionibacterium acnes is increasingly recognized as a pathogen, not merely a contaminant.
  • Infections caused by P. acnes can be challenging to diagnose and treat.
  • Prosthetic valve endocarditis is a serious complication of cardiac surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes.
  • To highlight the diagnostic methods used to identify P. acnes in this clinical setting.
  • To emphasize the role of P. acnes as an emerging human pathogen.

Main Methods:

  • Case report of prosthetic valve endocarditis.
  • Identification of the causative pathogen using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing.
  • Confirmation of persistent bacteremia using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns.

Main Results:

  • Propionibacterium acnes was identified as the causative agent of prosthetic valve endocarditis.
  • 16S rRNA sequencing provided accurate pathogen identification.
  • RAPD patterns confirmed persistent bacteremia, aiding in diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • Propionibacterium acnes can cause severe infections like prosthetic valve endocarditis.
  • Molecular techniques such as 16S rRNA sequencing and RAPD are valuable for diagnosing P. acnes infections.
  • This case underscores the importance of considering P. acnes as a potential pathogen in clinical practice.

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