[Differential diagnosis and therapy of male urethritis]

The infectious male urethritis is characterized by the urethral discharge, which is clear or purulent due to the number of leucocytes. Infection occurs mostly in sexual intercourse. Neisseria gonorrhoeae today causes only about 20-30% of the infections. Gramnegative bacteria are demonstrable by microscopic examination of the urethral discharge, otherwise by cultivation. Ureaplasma and chlamydia trachomatis, an intracellular growing bacterium, are the most frequent agents in infectious urethritis. They are often found together, the cultivation requires special laboratory conditions. They are common saprophytis bacteria within the urethra (u. urealyticum in up to 50%), their number of colony forming units of urethritis, like yeasts, viruses, trichomonas are rare. The treatment of gonorrhoic urethritis is done by penicillin or spectinomycin. Infections by u. urealyticum and c. trachomatis are treated with tetracyclin. Although spontaneous healing is not uncommon, therapy should be performed with respect to the high risk of following prostatitis and epididymitis.