Histological Identification of Propionibacterium acnes in Nonpyogenic Degenerated Intervertebral Discs

Table 1

Prevalence of P. acnes identified with anaerobic culture and 16S rDNA PCR examination.

	Total numbers	⁢Discs with P. acnes		Discs with unidentified bacteria		Discs without any bacteria
		Disc only	Disc and muscle both	Disc only	Disc and muscle both
16S rDNA PCR	76	16	4	2	1	53
Gram-staining		Rod-like; Gram-positive; bacterium	Rod-like; Gram-positive; bacterium	N/A	N/A
Positive rates		21.05%	5.26%	2.63%	1.32%	69.74%