Why we continue to use the name Propionibacterium acnes

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Funding sources: none.

Conflicts of interest: none to declare.

Dear Editor, Propionibacterium acnes is a Gram‐positive anaerobic rod commonly associated with acne vulgaris. It is a normal commensal of the human skin and can be linked to a wide variety of diseases, such as central nervous system shunt infections, joint infections, endocarditis and prostate infection. We read with interest the proposal to reclassify selected species within the genus Propionibacterium to the proposed novel genus Cutibacterium.1 While we agree that there is a distinction between the traditionally named ‘cutaneous’ and the ‘classical’ or ‘dairy’ propionibacteria,2 there is no obligation to accept the new name and it is taxonomically valid to continue to use the name Propionibacterium. Propionibacterium acnes was previously placed in the genus Corynebacterium.3 In earlier literature the cutaneous group associated with infection was referred to as C. acnes3 or C. parvum.4 A common term in diagnostic bacteriology was ‘anaerobic coryneforms’, and it is only in recent years that this has been superseded with correct use of the genus and species name.