Cutibacterium Acnes in Bone and Joint Infections

Cutibacterium Acnes in Bone and Joint Infections

Prosthetic Joint Infections (PJIs) are increasing with the use of orthopedic devices on an ageing population. Cutibacterium acnes is a commensal organism that plays an important role in the ecosystem healthy human skin, yet this species is also recognized as a pathogen in foreign body infection: endocarditis, prostatitis and specifically in PJIs. C. acnes is able to escape the immune system. This phenomenon could reflect two bacterial behavior: the bacterial internalization by host cells and the biofilm formation.

The aim of the study is to evaluate specific pathogenicity factors (ability to internalize bone cells and ability to form a biofilm) of bacteria derived from clinical strains of C. acnes isolated from bone infections on orthopedic material.

Inclusion Criteria:

• bone infection with C. acnes,
• isolation of the strain,
• presence of a single species,
• conservation of a viable strain,
• patients over 18 years