Is propionibacterium acnes related to disc degeneration in adults? A systematic review

INTRODUCTION: To systematically review the evidence linking Propionibacterium acnes with the development of symptomatic degenerative disc disease.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Data were obtained from MEDLINE from their inception to October 2015. Two authors independently conducted the searches, extracted data and completed methodological quality assessments. Articles were included if they investigated the presence of P. acnes in symptomatic degenerative disc disease through intra- operative cultural examination. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Overall 641 articles were retrieved with 9 cross-sectional studies being included in the review. All selected studies revealed an association between P. acnes and disc degeneration.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that there is a relationship between P. acnes and development of symptomatic degenerative disc disease. Despite this, we cannot support that P. acnes and development of symptomatic degenerative disc disease due to the low quality of the results according Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).