In vitro resistance to human platelet microbicidal protein among urethral staphylococcal and enterococcal isolates...

The study was carried out to test the in vitro activity of human platelet microbicidal protein (hPMP) on most commonly isolated urethral pathogens and compare the same with clinical isolates from cases of chronic prostatitis (CP). Urethral isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (n=19), coagulase negative staphylococci (n=40) and Enterococcus faecalis (n=16) from patients with or without CP were tested. The hPMP susceptibility of bacterial strains was determined by exposing bacterial cells to serial dilutions of hPMP. A significantly higher proportion of CP-strains of coagulase negative staphylococci (91.3% vs 5.88%) was resistant to hPMP than was that of non-CP strains (P S.aureus studied, 77.8% were considered resistant to the bactericidal action of hPMP. All nine CP-strains of E.faecalis were highly resistant to hPMP. Most non-CP urethral isolates of S.aureus, coagulase negative staphylococci and E.faecalis were susceptible to the bactericidal action of hPMP, while CP isolates of all species were significantly more resistant to hPMP. Data from the present study may have significant implications in understanding the pathogenesis of CP.