Advances of Polymerase Chain Reaction Sperm Testing in Men With Chronic Prostatitis and Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Prostate inflammation is a common condition in men characterized by swelling of the prostate gland, often associated with other prostate diseases. Understanding the role of chronic inflammation in prostatic diseases is important due to the changes in prostatic cells and the persistence when undiagnosed. The evaluation and management of chronic prostatitis (CP) and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) involve specific diagnostic tests. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection kits that use multiplex real-time PCR in comparison to standard microbiology sperm culture for detecting pathogens in individuals with CP and CPP. This retrospective observational study analyzed data from a database of 68 patients, aged 50.1 ± 17.8 years and treated at a secondary care urology center. PCR testing detected at least one microorganism in 63/68 samples (92.6%), while conventional culture yielded positive results in 12/68 cases (17.6%). The most detected microorganisms by PCR were the Bacteroides/Porphyromonas/Prevotella group (61.8%). Most of the samples were found to be polymicrobial, with the most common high-order combination consisting of Anaerococcus spp., Atopobium cluster, Bacteroides/Porphyromonas/Prevotella, Megasphaera/Veillonella/Dialister, and Peptostreptococcus/Parvimonas. This study concluded that PCR is more effective than traditional sperm culture in detecting organisms (p < .05), especially in identifying polymicrobial infections and fastidious microorganisms in patients with CP and CPP. PCR has higher sensitivity in detecting pathogens, including those often missed by standard culture techniques, leading to improved clinical outcomes, particularly in cases of polymicrobial infection.