Propionibacterium acnes as a cause of aggressive aortic valve endocarditis and importance of tissue grinding: case report and review

Abstract

A case of prosthetic valve endocarditis with Propionibacterium acnes is described. The diagnosis was documented by histology and isolation of P. acnes from both blood and anulus tissue. Grinding of the tissue, which was first omitted to avoid contamination, was indispensable for cultivating the agent. The literature for P. acnes endocarditis is reviewed.

Monitoring of apheresis platelet bacterial contamination with an automated liquid culture system: a university experience

“…Although this organism is usually considered nonpathogenic (with the notable exception of acne), it has been identified as a causative agent in cases of CNS infections, ophthalmic infections, dental and periodontal disease, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and arthritis. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] In this study, both aerobic and anaerobic culture bottles were employed. The decision to utilize two bottles was based on our observation with replicate samples of bacterially inoculated PLTs that at low bacterial concentrations, an occasional bottle may not demonstrate growth (likely due to a nonuniform distribution of bacteria within the bag).…”

Optimization of microbial screening for cord blood

“…Further, all organisms were detected within 5 days (median, 0.6 days) of culture with the exception of P. acnes (median, 7 days; range, 3‐12 days). It is not clear whether this organism is clinically significant to transplant recipients as it has been associated with endocarditis and osteomyelitis but rarely causes significant bacteremia …”

Bacterial screening by flow cytometry offers potential for extension of platelet storage: results of 14 months of active surveillance

“…Furthermore, the necessity of detecting P. acnes still requires further elucidation. Although P. acnes is associated with serious infections (Günthard et al , 1994), no adverse events were observed after transmission of PCs contaminated with P. acnes (Murphy et al , 2008; Störmer et al , 2008), and only a few cases of transfusion‐related sepsis have been described (Pink et al , 1993; Schneider et al , 2000; Blajchman et al , 2004). The BactiFlow assay has an initial reaction rate of 3· 6% and a false‐positive rate of 1· 7%.…”