AUTHOR=Yu Ruixing , Yu Lingyun , Ning Xiaoli , Cui Yong 

TITLE=Investigating Propionibacterium acnes antibiotic susceptibility and response to bacteriophage in vitro and in vivo

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1424849

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1424849

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec300"><title>Introduction</title><p>A total of 94 <italic>Propionibacterium acnes</italic> (<italic>P. acnes</italic>) isolates were obtained from a hospital in Beijing to evaluate their susceptibility to erythromycin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, and minocycline. As well as the determination of the effectiveness of <italic>P. acnes</italic> phages <italic>in vitro</italic> and in <italic>P. acnes</italic>-induced lesions mouse model.</p></sec><sec id="sec301"><title>Methods</title><p>Patients with acne vulgaris (AV) were enrolled from August 2021 to October 2022. Standard methods were employed for specimen collection, culture, and identification of <italic>P. acnes</italic>. Susceptibility testing was conducted using E-strips for erythromycin, clarithromycin, minocycline, and doxycycline. Phage culture and identification followed standard procedures. A mouse model with <italic>P. acnes</italic>-induced skin lesions was established, and data was analyzed using <italic>χ</italic><sup>2</sup> test.</p></sec><sec id="sec302"><title>Results</title><p>The results showed that all isolates were susceptible to minocycline and doxycycline, while 53 (56.4%) and 52 (55.3%) isolates were susceptible to erythromycin and clarithromycin, respectively. Interestingly, younger patients and those with lower acne severity exhibited reduced resistance. Phage cleavage rates ranged from 88.30 to 93.60%. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis was conducted on eight randomly selected <italic>P. acnes</italic> isolates, and the IA-2 subtype was used in experiments to address <italic>P. acnes</italic>-induced lesions in mice. Phage therapy proved effective in this model.</p></sec><sec id="sec303"><title>Discussion</title><p>This study highlights the high susceptibility of <italic>P. acnes</italic> to doxycycline and tetracycline, while erythromycin and clarithromycin exhibited elevated resistance. Additionally, <italic>P. acnes</italic> phages demonstrated high cleavage rates and potential effectiveness in treating <italic>P. acnes</italic>-induced lesions. These findings suggest promising avenues for further exploration of phage therapy in acne treatment.</p></sec>