Urinary tract infections and bacterial prostatitis in men

The purpose of this review is to highlight advances in research on urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bacterial prostatitis in men in the preceding year.

The antiseptic properties of the prostate secretions might be an important factor for prevention of recurrency. Risk factors for UTI in men include prostate enlargement and urological interventions, such as transrectal prostate biopsy. Preventive treatment of prostate enlargement has been demonstrated to reduce frequency of UTI. Ensuing infections after prostate biopsy, such as UTI and bacterial prostatitis, are increasing due to increasing rates of fluoroquinolone resistance. The increasing global antibiotic resistance also significantly affects management of UTI in men, and therefore calls for alternative strategies.Apart from prevention of complicating factors leading to UTI, a more thorough understanding of the pathophysiology may play a more important role in the future, to define new targets for treatment. Interesting results that might interfere with the intracellular mucosal bacterial load in the bladder wall have been found in the last years.

UTI in men and bacterial prostatitis are currently underrepresented in the medical literature. Increasing antibacterial resistance calls for novel strategies in the prevention and management of UTI and bacterial prostatitis in men.