The role of Chlamydia trachomatis in chronic abacterial prostatitis: a study using ultrasound guided biopsy

We studied 50 patients with chronic abacterial prostatitis as defined by the Stamey procedure via transrectal prostatic ultrasound and subsequent transperineal biopsy of the abnormal areas of the prostate to ascertain the role of Chlamydia trachomatis organisms (chlamydiae) in this condition. Chlamydiae were detected by an immunofluorescence technique in the urethra of 1 patient (2 per cent) but they were not recovered in McCoy cell culture from the prostatic tissue of any patient nor were they detected in the tissue by immunofluorescence. In addition, serum antibody to Chlamydia trachomatis was not found even in moderate titer. The approach in this study has overcome the problem of urethral contamination in the assessment of prostatic specimens from patients with chronic abacterial prostatitis. There is no evidence that chlamydiae are directly implicated in the disease, although the possibility of an earlier active role cannot be excluded.