Septic osteoarthritis caused by Propionibacterium acnes: a report of two cases.

Introduction, - Propionibacterium acnes is an anaerobic germ, usually found as a saprophyte of the skin and the mucosa. It may be responsible for iatr ogenic or spontaneous osteoarhritis. Exegesis. - We report two new cases of septic arthritis induced by Fl acnes : a case of iatrogenic spondylodiscitis and a case of spontaneous septic ar thritis of the lumbar facet joints The two patients were immunocompetent, w ithout acne. Conclusion. - Except for patients with criteria of the SAPHO syndrome (syno vitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteomyelitis), osteoarthritis caused by Fl acnes is increasingly described. The number of these infections is prob ably underestimated because of the technical problems involved in isolating Fl acnes in the laboratory: (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales E lsevier SAS.