Which bacterium is an anaerobe that resides in hair follicles?

Prepare for your Microbial Growth Phases, Oxygen Needs, and Immunity Types Test. Use our multiple-choice questions and detailed explanations for each answer to enhance your understanding and ensure success!

Multiple Choice

Which bacterium is an anaerobe that resides in hair follicles?

Explanation:
Hair follicles in the sebaceous environment provide a low-oxygen niche that favors anaerobic bacteria. Propionibacterium acnes is a gram-positive anaerobic rod that lives deep in hair follicles and sebaceous glands, thriving on sebum. Its metabolism in this environment can drive inflammation and acne. The other organisms listed are skin residents that tolerate oxygen (facultative anaerobes) and aren’t the typical anaerobes residing specifically in hair follicles. Corynebacterium xerosis is a skin commensal not primarily an anaerobe in hair follicles. So the bacterium that best fits the description is Propionibacterium acnes.

Hair follicles in the sebaceous environment provide a low-oxygen niche that favors anaerobic bacteria. Propionibacterium acnes is a gram-positive anaerobic rod that lives deep in hair follicles and sebaceous glands, thriving on sebum. Its metabolism in this environment can drive inflammation and acne. The other organisms listed are skin residents that tolerate oxygen (facultative anaerobes) and aren’t the typical anaerobes residing specifically in hair follicles. Corynebacterium xerosis is a skin commensal not primarily an anaerobe in hair follicles. So the bacterium that best fits the description is Propionibacterium acnes.

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