Name: Cutibacterium acnes (Gilchrist 1900) Scholz and Kilian 2016

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Bacillus acnes" Gilchrist 1900

Etymology: ac’nes. Gr. fem. n. akmê, a point, inaccurately transliterated as acne; N.L. gen. fem. n. acnes, of acne

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: ku-ti-bak-TE-ri-um AK-nes, neuter

Type strain: ATCC 6919; CCUG 1794; CIP 53.117; DSM 1897; JCM 6425; LMG 16711; NCTC 737; NRRL B-4224; VKM Ac-1450

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB042288 Analyse FASTA

Valid publication: Scholz CF, Kilian M. The natural history of cutaneous propionibacteria, and reclassification of selected species within the genus Propionibacterium to the proposed novel genera Acidipropionibacterium gen. nov., Cutibacterium gen. nov. and Pseudopropionibacterium gen. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:4422-4432. 🇩🇰

IJSEM list: Oren A, Garrity GM. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 66, part 11 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017; 67:179-182.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 2

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Propionibacterium acnes (Gilchrist 1900) Douglas and Gunter 1946 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    "Bacillus acnes" Gilchrist 1900	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Emendations:
  • Nouioui et al. 2018 Nouioui I, Carro L, Garcia-Lopez M, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Pukall R, Klenk HP, Goodfellow M, Goker M. Genome-Based Taxonomic Classification of the Phylum Actinobacteria. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2007. 🇩🇪 Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 29. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2019; 69:13-32.
    Notes:
    • 🧍 The genome of the type strain was sequenced as part of the GEBA (Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea) project.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Cutibacterium Scholz and Kilian 2016. Publication: Scholz CF, Kilian M. The natural history of cutaneous propionibacteria, and reclassification of selected species within the genus Propionibacterium to the proposed novel genera Acidipropionibacterium gen. nov., Cutibacterium gen. nov. and Pseudopropionibacterium gen. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:4422-4432. 🇩🇰
  • 😷 The risk group for Belgium has been imported on 2024-02-05. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "human pathogen". — The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 2, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 2". — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 1655 times in PubMed until 2026-06-11.
  • 🫡 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the species itself. This name is not taxonomically suspended any more in favour of Propionibacterium acnes (Gilchrist 1900) Douglas and Gunter 1946 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Douglas HC, Gunter SE. The Taxonomic Position of Corynebacterium acnes. J Bacteriol 1946; 52:15-23. Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.
  • 🧍 According to Bartlett et al. (2022), this species is an established human pathogen. Publication: Bartlett A, Padfield D, Lear L, Bendall R, Vos M. A comprehensive list of bacterial pathogens infecting humans. Microbiology (Reading) 2022; 168:0. 🇬🇧

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 3
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 3
Total number of child taxa: 3

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    Cutibacterium acnes subsp. acnes (Gilchrist 1900) Nouioui et al. 2018	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Cutibacterium acnes subsp. defendens (McDowell et al. 2016) Nouioui et al. 2018	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Cutibacterium acnes subsp. elongatum (Dekio et al. 2015) Dekio et al. 2019	validly published under the ICNP	correct name

Parent taxon: Cutibacterium Scholz and Kilian 2016

Assigned by: Scholz CF, Kilian M. The natural history of cutaneous propionibacteria, and reclassification of selected species within the genus Propionibacterium to the proposed novel genera Acidipropionibacterium gen. nov., Cutibacterium gen. nov. and Pseudopropionibacterium gen. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:4422-4432. 🇩🇰

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Record number: 794765