Its members are primarily facultative parasites and commensals of humans and other animals, living in and around the sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and other areas of the skin. They are virtually ubiquitous and do not cause problems for most people, but propionibacteria have been implicated in acne and other skin conditions.[4] One study found the Propionibacterium was the most prevalent human skin-associated genus of microorganisms.[5]
In ruminants, propionibacteria reduce nitrate to nontoxic nitrogen compounds.[6]
Members of the genus Propionibacterium are widely used in the production of vitamin B12, tetrapyrrole compounds, and propionic acid, as well as in the probiotics and cheese industries.[7]
Propionibacteriumspp. are commensal bacteria that can occasionally cause infectious diseases. The most studied of these infections is acne vulgaris, caused by Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes).[9] It is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the blockage of pilosebaceous units causing inflammatory lesions, non-inflammatory lesions or a mixture of both on the face, neck and/or chest.[10][11] Acne vulgaris cannot be defined as an infectious disease since the bacteria is found on a vast majority of individuals without causing lesions.[10]C. acnes colonize the skin only under certain favorable conditions. In most cases, C. acnes get trapped under the comedones where they proliferate to form micro-comedones, not visible to the naked eye,[12] which can later form structures such as closed comedones (white heads) and open comedones.[10] These comedones can rupture, releasing the follicular material inside the dermis. The cause of this rupture was thought to be the indirect effect of fat metabolism by the bacteria, however it was later found that bacteria are directly involved in comedome rupturing by producing factors such as proteases, hyaluronidases and neuraminidases which might be involved in thinning of the epithelium.[13]C. acnes can also produce immune factors such as proinflammatory cytokine inducing-factors[14] and chemotactic factors,[15] and can induce host complement pathways.[16]
^Orla-Jensen S. (1909). "Die Hauptlinien des natürlichen Bakteriensystems" [The main lineages of natural bacterial systems]. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II [Central Journal for Bacteriology, Parasite Science, Infectious Diseases and Hygiene, Section II]. 22: 305–346.
^Cheung, Y.F., Fung, C., and Walsh, C. "Stereochemistry of propionyl-coenzyme A and pyruvate carboxylations catalyzed by transcarboxylase." 1975. Biochemistry 14(13), pg 2981.
^Bojar, R., and Holland, K. "Acne and propionibacterium acnes." 2004. Clinics in Dermatology 22(5), pg. 375-379.
^Strickland,Gary; Richards, Chris; Zhang,Hailin; and Step, D.L (February 2017). "Nitrate Toxicity in Livestock". Oklahoma State University Extension Service. Retrieved 12 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Kiatpapan P., Murooka Y. Genetic manipulation system in propionibacteria. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. 93 (1) (pp 1–8), 2002
^Zeller, Valérie A.; Letembet, Valérie-Anne; Meyssonnier, Vanina A.; Heym, Beate; Ziza, Jean-Marc; Marmor, Simon D. (2018-02-12). "Cutibacterium (Formerly Propionibacterium) avidum: A Rare but Avid Agent of Prosthetic Hip Infection". The Journal of Arthroplasty. 33 (7): 2246–2250. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2018.02.008. ISSN1532-8406. PMID29544969. S2CID3916758.
^Majeski, J. A.; Stinnett, J. D. (March 1977). "Chemoattractant properties of Corynebacterium parvum and pyran copolymer for human monocytes and neutrophils". Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 58 (3): 781–783. doi:10.1093/jnci/58.3.781. ISSN0027-8874. PMID839571.
