Development of Propionibacterium acnes-associated Sarcoidosis During Etanercept Therapy

Cardiac Sarcoidosis Which Occurred Four Years after Successful Treatment of Cutaneous Sarcoidosis with Minocycline

A 67-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a complete right bundle branch block. She had been treated with minocycline for skin sarcoidosis and her symptoms had ameliorated four years previously. Gallium scintigraphy revealed an abnormal uptake in the heart but not in the skin or lungs. She was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis, although an endomyocardial biopsy could not detect any sarcoid lesions. Immunohistochemical staining for Cutibacterium acnes was positive for granulomas of the skin lesions which had been previously biopsied. One year after starting the administration of steroids, her condition improved.

Potential Association of Cutibacterium acnes with Sarcoidosis as an Endogenous Hypersensitivity Infection

The immunohistochemical detection of Cutibacterium acnes in sarcoid granulomas suggests its potential role in granuloma formation. C. acnes is the sole microorganism ever isolated from sarcoid lesions. Histopathologic analysis of some sarcoid lymph nodes reveals latent infection and intracellular proliferation of cell-wall-deficient C. acnes followed by insoluble immune-complex formation. Activation of T helper type 1 (Th1) immune responses by C. acnes is generally higher in sarcoidosis patients than in healthy individuals. Pulmonary granulomatosis caused by an experimental adjuvant-induced allergic immune response to C. acnes is preventable by antimicrobials, suggesting that the allergic reaction targets C. acnes commensal in the lungs. C. acnes is the most common bacterium detected intracellularly in human peripheral lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes. Some sarcoidosis patients have increased amounts of C. acnes-derived circulating immune complexes, which suggests the proliferation of C. acnes in affected organs. In predisposed individuals with hypersensitive Th1 immune responses to C. acnes, granulomas may form to confine the intracellular proliferation of latent C. acnes triggered by certain host-related or drug-induced conditions. Current clinical trials in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis are evaluating combined treatment with steroids and antimicrobials during active disease with continued antimicrobial therapy while tapering off steroids after the disease subsides.

The Role of Cutibacterium acnes in Sarcoidosis: From Antigen to Treatable Trait?

Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes, formerly Propionibacterium acnes) is considered to be a non-pathogenic resident of the human skin, as well as mucosal surfaces. However, it also has been demonstrated that C. acnes 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 C. acnes to enhance anti-tumor activity in various cancers or vaccination response. Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown causes. Cultures of C. acnes 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 C. acnes with a focus on sarcoidosis. Furthermore, a potential role for antibiotic treatment in patients with sarcoidosis will be explored.

Anti-TNF Induced Sarcoidosis-Like Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Review Cases from the RA UCLouvain Brussels Cohort

Introduction

Drug-induced sarcoidosis-like disease is a rare side effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The most commonly involved organs in such condition are the lungs, skin, and lymph nodes. The aim of this study is to report the number of cases and the clinical manifestations of sarcoidosis induced by anti-TNF in our RA UCLouvain Brussels cohort.

Methods

All case records of RA patients ever treated with a TNF inhibitor and presenting anti-TNF induced sarcoidosis in our rheumatology centers from 2000 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Our RA UCLouvain Brussels cohort includes 2492 patients. Among them, 697 patients have been or are exposed to a TNF inhibitor. Only four patients with sarcoidosis induced by anti-TNF were identified and reviewed. Patient 1 was classified as incomplete Heerfordt syndrome. Patient 2 was a case of sarcoid-like granulomatosis manifesting as life-threatening hypercalcemia, acute kidney injury and atypical parenchymal pneumopathy. Patients 3 and 4 developed pulmonary sarcoidosis with hilar adenopathies. The TNF inhibitor was etanercept for the first three patients and infliximab for the last one. The time occurrence of sarcoidosis was highly variable after anti-TNF exposure. All patients recovered after glucocorticoid treatment and the discontinuation of the anti-TNF agent.

Conclusions

This case highlights this rare paradoxical side effect and the variability of the clinical presentation. Further studies should analyze the immunopathology of such conditions.

Natural and iatrogenic ocular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review

Purpose

To provide an overview of the ocular features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and of the ophthalmic adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that may be associated with the administration of antirheumatic drugs.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases. In addition, a cohort of 489 RA patients who attended the Authors’ departments were examined.

Results

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, episcleritis, scleritis, peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK), and anterior uveitis were diagnosed in 29%, 6%, 5%, 2%, and 10%, respectively, of the mentioned cohort. Ocular ADRs to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are rarely reported and include subconjunctival hemorrhages and hemorrhagic retinopathy. In patients taking indomethacin, whorl-like corneal deposits and pigmentary retinopathy have been observed. Glucocorticoids are frequently responsible for posterior subcapsular cataracts and open-angle glaucoma. Methotrexate, the prototype of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), has been associated with the onset of ischemic optic neuropathy, retinal cotton-wool spots, and orbital non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Mild cystoid macular edema and punctate keratitis in patients treated with leflunomide have been occasionally reported. The most frequently occurring ADR of hydroxychloroquine is vortex keratopathy, which may progress to “bull’s eye” maculopathy. Patients taking tofacitinib, a synthetic DMARD, more frequently suffer herpes zoster virus (HZV) reactivation, including ophthalmic HZ. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors have been associated with the paradoxical onset or recurrence of uveitis or sarcoidosis, as well as optic neuritis, demyelinating optic neuropathy, chiasmopathy, and oculomotor palsy. Recurrent episodes of PUK, multiple cotton-wool spots, and retinal hemorrhages have occasionally been reported in patients given tocilizumab, that may also be associated with HZV reactivation, possibly involving the eye. Finally, rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has rarely been associated with necrotizing scleritis, macular edema, and visual impairment.

Conclusion

The level of evidence for most of the drug reactions described herein is restricted to the “likely” or “possible” rather than to the “certain” category. However, the lack of biomarkers indicative of the potential risk of ocular ADRs hinders their prevention and emphasizes the need for an accurate risk vs. benefit assessment of these therapies for each patient.

Immunohistochemical Detection of Propionibacterium acnes in Granulomas for Differentiating Sarcoidosis from Other Granulomatous Diseases Utilizing an Automated System with a Commercially Available PAB Antibody

Propionibacterium acnes is implicated in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. We investigated the usefulness of immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a commercially available P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 94 sarcoidosis patients and 30 control patients with other granulomatous diseases were examined by the original manual IHC method. We also compared the detection frequency of P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas between manual and automated IHC methods. P. acnes was detected in sarcoid granulomas of samples obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy (64%), video-associated thoracic surgery (67%), endobronchial-ultrasound-guided transbronchial-needle aspiration (32%), lymph node biopsy (80%), and skin biopsy (80%) from sarcoidosis patients, but not in any non-sarcoid granulomas of the samples obtained from control patients. P. acnes outside granulomas, however, was frequently detected in both groups. The detection status of P. acnes in granulomas did not correlate with the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients. The automated Leica system exhibited the best detection sensitivity (72%) and almost an identical localization for P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas compared with the manual method. IHC with a PAB antibody is useful for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases by detecting P. acnes in granulomas. An automated method by the Leica system can be used in pathology laboratories for differential diagnosis of granulomas by IHC with the PAB antibody.

Immunohistochemical Detection of Potential Microbial Antigens in Granulomas in the Diagnosis of Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis may have more than a single causative agent, including infectious and non-infectious agents. Among the potential infectious causes of sarcoidosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Propionibacterium acnes are the most likely microorganisms. Potential latent infection by both microorganisms complicates the findings of molecular and immunologic studies. Immune responses to potential infectious agents of sarcoidosis should be considered together with the microorganisms detected in sarcoid granulomas, because immunologic reactivities to infectious agents reflect current and past infection, including latent infection unrelated to the cause of the granuloma formation. Histopathologic data more readily support P. acnes as a cause of sarcoidosis compared with M. tuberculosis, suggesting that normally symbiotic P. acnes leads to granuloma formation in some predisposed individuals with Th1 hypersensitivity against intracellular proliferation of latent P. acnes, which may be triggered by certain host or drug-induced conditions. Detection of bacterial nucleic acids in granulomas does not necessarily indicate co-localization of the bacterial proteins in the granulomas. In the histopathologic diagnosis of sarcoidosis, M. tuberculosis-associated and P. acnes-associated sarcoidosis will possibly be differentiated in some patients by immunohistochemistry with appropriate antibodies that specifically react with mycobacterial and propionibacterial antigens, respectively, for each etiology-based diagnosis and potential antimicrobial intervention against sarcoidosis.

Propionibacterium acnes-associated Sarcoidosis Possibly Initially Triggered by Interferon-alpha Therapy

A 46-year-old woman with uveitis was referred to our respiratory diseases department in July 2018. Her medical history included transient bilateral hilar mediastinal lymphadenopathy (BHL) and multiple pulmonary nodules in May 2013 during pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection. Five years post-treatment, chest X-ray revealed BHL and nodular recurrence. A biopsy of the subcutaneous buttock nodules revealed scattered non-caseating epithelioid granulomas with positive PAB immunohistochemical staining. This seem to be the first report of Propionibacterium acnes-associated sarcoidosis possibly initially triggered by interferon-alpha therapy. Understanding the mechanisms underlying interferon-triggered P. acnes-associated sarcoidosis may clarify the sarcoidosis immunopathogenesis.

Propionibacterium acnes-associated sarcoidosis complicated by acute bird-related hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Background

The number of reports on sarcoidosis complicated by hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is limited, and most describe cases complicated by chronic bird-related HP. Here, we present for the first time a case with Propionibacterium acnes-associated sarcoidosis complicated by acute bird-related HP.

Case presentation

A 62-year-old man with a past medical history of sarcoidosis was admitted to our department, and chest computed tomography showed diffuse ground-glass opacities, which appeared as he rapidly increased the number of pigeons he kept for a competition. Random transbronchial lung biopsy revealed well-formed non-caseating epithelioid granulomas, which contained positively stained substances on immunohistochemistry using the PAB antibody, a specific monoclonal antibody against P. acnes lipoteichoic acid. Poorly formed non-caseating granulomas without positively stained substances were also detected.

Conclusion

We describe the successful identification of this exceptionally rare case of sarcoidosis complicated by acute bird-related HP in which two morphologically and immunohistologically different types of granulomas were present in the same lung.

The Role of Propionibacterium acnes in the Pathogenesis of Sarcoidosis and Ulcerative Colitis: How This Connection May Inspire Novel Management of These Conditions

A lesser-acknowledged role of Propionibacterium acnes is its effect on the development of sarcoidosis. This literature review not only further explores this association but also that of Propionibacterium acnes and other inflammatory conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and pyoderma gangrenosum, acne, ulcerative colitis syndrome (PAC syndrome). This article reviews the effect that isotretinoin, a commonly used treatment of acne, has on the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, and the immune dysregulation and genetic susceptibility of individuals prone to developing acne, sarcoidosis, and ulcerative colitis.

Literature for this article review was obtained from PubMed by utilizing both regular keywords and medical subject heading (MeSH) subheadings for data gathering. Regular keywords were: Propionibacterium acnes, sarcoidosis, ulcerative colitis, and isotretinoin. MeSH subheadings used were: Propionibacterium acnes/immunology, Propionibacterium acnes/pathogenicity, Propionibacterium acnes/genetics, sarcoidosis/immunology, and sarcoidosis/genetics.

Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 5172 publications were obtained. A total of 5086 publications were removed due to a lack of relevancy to outcomes of interest. The remaining 86 publications from all the regular and MeSH keywords were selected due to relevancy to outcomes of interest. Following this, a refined manual search was done, with the removal of duplicates, and 33 publications from PubMed were selected for review.

Following a review of these records, Propionibacterium acnes was repeatedly concluded to be a causative agent of sarcoidosis. Variable results for the association between Propionibacterium acnes and ulcerative colitis were found. Most studies showed no significant association between the use of isotretinoin and the development of ulcerative colitis. A strong overlapping role of genetic susceptibility and immune dysregulation in the pathogeneses of sarcoidosis, ulcerative colitis, and Propionibacterium acnes was found.

A Patient with Necrotizing Vasculitis Related to Sarcoidosis, which Was Diagnosed via Immunohistochemical Methods Using Propionibacterium acnes-specific Monoclonal Antibodies

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a commensal bacterium indigenous to the skin. Previous reports have suggested that infection with P. acnes causes sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease. We present the case of a 63-year-old woman who developed subcutaneous nodules. A skin biopsy revealed necrotizing vasculitis and noncaseating granulomas, which are characteristic of sarcoidosis. Immunohistostaining revealed a P. acnes skin infection, which led to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Minocycline treatment resolved the infection and improved the patient's symptoms. We herein report a case in which immunohistochemistry was useful in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

Systemic Sarcoidosis Associated with Certolizumab Pegol Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A 69-year-old woman presented with appetite loss, fatigue, and a low-grade fever. She had been receiving certolizumab pegol for rheumatoid arthritis for six years. Computed tomography of the chest showed multiple micronodules in both lungs and bilateral hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. An ophthalmic examination showed the findings of uveitis. Lymphocytosis with an increased CD4/CD8 ratio was seen in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Video-assisted thoracoscopic biopsy specimens obtained from the right lung and a right hilar lymph node showed noncaseous epithelioid cell granulomas. Anti-tumor necrosis factor-α-induced sarcoidosis was diagnosed, and she was successfully treated with cessation of certolizumab pegol and systemic corticosteroid therapy.