Relationship between Propionibacterium acnes biotypes and Jumi-haidoku-to.

We examined the relationship between Propionibacterium acnes biotypes and Jumi-haidoku-to (JHT). In all the P. acnes strains tested, the production of propionic acid (PA) and butyric acid (BA) was suppressed in a medium containing 1 mg/ml JHT compared with the control medium without JHT. There were no significant differences in the rates of decreased PA and BA production between P. acnes biotype 3 (B3) and the other biotypes or between isolates from mild skin rash and more severe skin rash. P. acnes B3 was the most commonly identified biotype. The clinical effects on acne due to the anti-P. acnes lipase activity of JHT did not seem to be influenced by the degree of acne rash or the P. acnes biotype.