Propionibacterium acnes: An agent of prosthetic joint infection and colonization

Propionobacter acnes Infection as an Occult Cause of Postoperative Shoulder Pain: A Case Series

“…averaging 3 months. This is similar to the report by Zeller et al [45], who classified the majority of infections in their series as late chronic infections as opposed to acute postoperative infections. One patient in our study presented 8 years after the index operation.…”

“…Infections after proximal humerus fractures are less common [4,29,32,40,46]. P. acnes is being recognized as a causal agent in shoulder infections with increasing frequency [3,7,14,18,33,35,37,39,45]. This nonspore-forming microaerophilic bacillus has a low level of virulence but has been established as a pathogen in endocarditis [30,42], meningitis [5,43], arthritis [23], osteomyelitis [1,31] and spondylitis [10,13].…”

Screening of platelet concentrates for bacterial contamination: spectrum of bacteria detected, proportionof transfused units, and clinical follow-up

“…The clinical significance of Propionbacterium acnes has been questioned. However, there are well-documented cases of infections in various clinical settings including endocarditis, arthritis, lung infections, and abscesses in spleen and brain [19][20][21]. In particular, it can cause silent late chronic infections in prosthetic joints [21].…”

“…However, there are well-documented cases of infections in various clinical settings including endocarditis, arthritis, lung infections, and abscesses in spleen and brain [19][20][21]. In particular, it can cause silent late chronic infections in prosthetic joints [21]. There are reports of moderate febrile TRs in immunosuppressed patients who received PCs contaminated with Propionibacteria, and it has been described as cause of transient febrile episodes even in an immunocompetent host [22][23][24].…”

Infections in spinal instrumentation

“…With regard to the treatment of delayed infection after spinal instrumentation, most studies reported successful treatment through complete implant removal associated with appropriate antibiotherapy [36,37]. In the retrospective case series by Hedequist et al [38], 26 patients developed a delayed infection that could not be eradicated when implants were left in place.…”