| Summary: | <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i> (<i>C. acnes</i>, formerly <i>Propionibacterium acnes</i>) is considered to be a non-pathogenic resident of the human skin, as well as mucosal surfaces. However, it also has been demonstrated that <i>C. acnes</i> plays a pathogenic role in diseases such as acne vulgaris or implant infections after orthopedic surgery. Besides a role in infectious disease, this bacterium also seems to harbor immunomodulatory effects demonstrated by studies using <i>C. acnes</i> to enhance anti-tumor activity in various cancers or vaccination response. Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown causes. Cultures of <i>C. acnes</i> in biopsy samples of sarcoidosis patients, its presence in BAL fluid, tissue samples as well as antibodies against this bacterium found in serum of patients with sarcoidosis suggest an etiological role in this disease. In this review we address the antigenic as well as immunomodulatory potential of <i>C. acnes</i> with a focus on sarcoidosis. Furthermore, a potential role for antibiotic treatment in patients with sarcoidosis will be explored.
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