Abstract
Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin condition classified by the Global Burden
of Disease Study as the eighth most prevalent disease worldwide. The pathophysiology
of the condition has been extensively studied, with an increase in sebum production,
abnormal keratinization of the pilosebaceous follicle, and an inflammatory immune
response all implicated in its etiology. One of the most disputed points, however,
is the role of the gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Propionibacterium acnes in the development of acne, particularly when this organism is also found in normal
sebaceous follicles of healthy skin. Against this background, we now describe the
different sampling strategies that have been adopted for qualitative and quantitative
study of P acnes within intact hair follicles of the skin and discuss the strengths and weaknesses
of such methodologies for investigating the role of P acnes in the development of acne.
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