Such observations are practically impossible to explain by contamination as this would require the contaminant to form a biofilm deep within a retrieved nucleus tissue fragment during the brief time between removal and freezing. Critically, there is no indication that biopsy samples were processed by homogenization to vigorously disrupt any I C. acnes i biofilm matrix residing deep within the disc tissue sample, thus enhancing culture detection and minimizing false-negative results [[4]]. We believe that the best methodological approach for future studies investigating the role of I C. acnes i in DDD is to utilize disc tissue homogenization combined with imaging techniques that are sensitive to the presence of biofilms, but eliminate the issue of contamination. [Extracted from the article]