Identification of the Propionibacterium acnes using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in the Acne vulgaris lesions

Background: Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory chronic disease of pilosebaceous unit. One of the most important factors playing a role in occurrence of acne is presence of Propionibacterium acnes. With the aim of molecular identification of the P. acnes from the acne vulgaris lesions, current research was carried out. Methods: In this study, contents within the lesions was collected from 70 patients. The presence of the P. acnes was examined by a specific PCR technique. Results: Of 70 samples, 58 samples (82.85%) were determined to be positive in terms of presence of P. acnes. No significant relationship was observed between presence of P. acnes and each one of the studied demographic factors, including gender, age, disease period, family background and treatment background. Conclusions: The adopted molecular technique has obviated the limitations associated with the culture method for identification of the bacteria. To overcome the problems with conventional culture techniques for P. acne, this PCR method is promising for better identification of this bacterium.