Propionobacteria

Propionobacteria are a genus of bacteria whose members are primarily facultative parasites and commensals of humans and other animals, living in and around the sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and other areas of the skin. They are virtually ubiquitous and do not cause problems for most people, but propionobacteria have been implicated in acne and other skin conditions [Bojar, R., and Holland, K. "Acne and propionibacterium acnes." 2004. "Clinics in Dermatology" 22(5), pg. 375-379.] .

They are named for their unique metabolism; they are able to catabolize propionic acid by using unusual transcarboxylase enzymes. [Cheung, Y.F., Fung, C., and Walsh, C. "Stereochemistry of propionyl-coenzyme A and pyruvate carboxylations catalyzed by transcarboxylase." 1975. "Biochemistry" 14(13), pg 2981.]

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