A gram-positive bacillus that may be part of the normal skin flora, but can also be pathogenic in acne, wounds, and infected prosthetic devices. It was formerly called Corynebacterium acnes.
Propionibacterium acnes, a common skin inhabitant, proliferates quickly in blocked hair follicles where sebum is trapped.
A non-spore-forming, anaerobic or aerotolerant, gram-positive bacterium that normally resides on the skin and often contaminates anaerobic cultures. It is a potential pathogen linked to chronic infections in the blood and bone marrow.