ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2026
Intervertebral disc puncture predisposes the disc to Cutibacterium acnes infection via hematogenous and contiguous routes: a rat model study.
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIntervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a primary cause of chronic low back pain. Recent evidence suggests a potential association between low-virulence infections, particularly by Cutibacterium acnes, and IVDD. However, the pathways and mechanisms by which this commensal skin bacterium infects intervertebral discs remain poorly understood.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine whether Cutibacterium acnes can enter the intervertebral disc through hematogenous or contiguous routes, and whether injury-induced damage to the annulus fibrosus and IVDD increases susceptibility to infection, using an animal model.
methodsTo investigate Cutibacterium acnes infection pathways, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent caudal disc annulus fibrosus puncture or remained intact (confirmed by 28-day MRI T2WI). After MRI, hematogenous and contiguous infections were modeled by daily Cutibacterium acnes injections for 7 days. Tail-vein injections were given in Groups A (intact discs) and C (punctured discs) to simulate hematogenous spread, while subcutaneous injections were given in Groups B (intact discs) and D (punctured discs) to simulate contiguous spread. Intervertebral disc samples were taken under very strict aseptic conditions after the intervention. Gram staining and Cutibacterium acnes-specific 16S rDNA PCR were used to confirm the presence of Cutibacterium acnes in these disc specimens cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The remaining segment was subjected to histological evaluation (H&E staining).
resultsIntervertebral disc puncture successfully induced IVDD, as evidenced by MRI and histology. Punctured discs exhibited significantly higher susceptibility to Cutibacterium acnes infection via both hematogenous (Group C: 17.5% vs. Group A: 0%; P = 0.012) and contiguous spread (Group D: 20% vs. Group B: 0%; P = 0.005), as confirmed by anaerobic culture. No bacteria were cultured in an aerobic environment, and the PBS group.
conclusionsAnnulus fibrosus injury and IVDD significantly increase the risk of intervertebral disc Cutibacterium acnes infection through hematogenous and contiguous spread pathways.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.