The Microbiology of Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Although the clinical presentation of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is strongly reminiscent of bacterial infection, the role of bacteria remains controversial. Studies have isolated an array of different bacterial specimens as well as biofilm formation in lesional HS skin. Consistent findings of Gram-positive cocci and -rods including Staphylococus aureus, Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Corynebacterium species (spp) in deep tissue samples have been demonstrated in HS. Although efficacy of antibiotics, i.e., rifampicin, clindamycin or tetracycline may support a microbial role in disease pathogenesis, the most often isolated bacterial specimens are commensal bacteria (CoNS).