The detection of Propionibacterium acnes signatures in granulomas of lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei

Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei (LMDF) is a papular eruption that occurs on adults' faces, predominantly on the lower eyelids. Histologically, the granulomatous lesions are primarily situated around the hair follicles, particularly the superficial region/infundibula. Its etiology remains to be elucidated. Recently, Propionibacterium acnes (P.acnes) has been suspected as a cause of sarcoidosis. In light of the sarcoid-like reactions that are present in LMDF, we hypothesized that P.acnes may also be implicated in granulomas associated with the disease. We evaluated nine DNA samples from granulomatous lesions from the skin of patients with LMDF. We used laser capture microdissection to extract DNA from these regions. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to amplify segments of the 16S ribosomal RNA of P.acnes, and the P.acnes gene was clearly detectable in all nine DNA samples. The gene was also detected in samples from normal-appearing skin, but these bands were faint in all samples. The results of the present study suggest that P.acnes plays a pathogenetic roles in LMDF.