Presence of propionibacterium acnes in granulomas associates with a chronic disease course in dutch sarcoidosis patients

Several studies demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes may be involved in sarcoidosis pathogenesis. Presence of P. acnes was found in granulomas of the majority of Japanese sarcoidosis patients. However, presence of P. acnes in tissue has never been related to sarcoidosis phenotypes and clinical outcome. Therefore, the aims of our study were to demonstrate whether P. acnes can be detected in granulomas of Dutch sarcoidosis patients and to investigate whether its presence is related to a clinical phenotype and/or course of disease. Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks o... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Beijer, Els
Seldenrijk, Kees
Eishi, Yoshinobu
Uchida, Keisuke
Damen, Jan
Grutters, Jan C.
Veltkamp, Marcel
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2021
Schlagwörter: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29040342
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/445714

Several studies demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes may be involved in sarcoidosis pathogenesis. Presence of P. acnes was found in granulomas of the majority of Japanese sarcoidosis patients. However, presence of P. acnes in tissue has never been related to sarcoidosis phenotypes and clinical outcome. Therefore, the aims of our study were to demonstrate whether P. acnes can be detected in granulomas of Dutch sarcoidosis patients and to investigate whether its presence is related to a clinical phenotype and/or course of disease. Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 76 sarcoidosis patients were examined by immunostaining with a P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) using a Ventana BenchMark ULTRA. Clinical outcome status (COS) was determined and classified into two phenotype groups: A: resolved, minimal or persistent disease without treatment (COS 1–6) and B: persistent disease with need for treatment (COS 7–9). P. acnes was detected in samples of 31 patients (41%) and located within granulomas in samples of 13 patients (17%). The frequency of P. acnes detected in granulomas at diagnosis was significantly higher in patients with phenotype B compared to patients with phenotype A (29% versus 0%, p=0.021). Presence of P. acnes in granulomas can be confirmed in Dutch sarcoidosis patients. It is intriguing that presence of P. acnes in granulomas is more frequently found in patients with chronic disease requiring treatment. This adds to the rationale that a subgroup of sarcoidosis patients might benefit from antibiotic therapy.