Adult acne in women is not associated with a specific type of Cutibacterium acnes

To the Editor: Acne vulgaris in adult women is a well-known entity that may be distinguished from teenage acne. However, Cutibacterium acnes (C acnes), which is formerly named Propionibacterium acnes, has never been characterized in adult women with acne. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of C acnes (including phylotype, clonal complex, single-locus sequence typing (SLST) scheme, and resistance profile) between 2 groups with acne: adult women (defined as women aged 20 years or older) and adolescents/teenagers (individuals aged 11-18 years).