Related Experiment Videos
Bacterial infection in prostatodynia
J E Lowentritt1, K Kawahara, L G Human
1Department of Urology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
The Journal of Urology
|October 1, 1995
Summary
This study suggests bacteria may cause prostatodynia (inflammation of the prostate) in some men. Positive bacterial cultures from prostatic secretions were significantly higher in patients than controls, indicating a potential etiological role for bacteria.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Prostatodynia is a common urological condition with unclear etiology.
- Bacterial infection is a suspected, but not definitively proven, cause of prostatodynia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential bacterial etiology of prostatodynia.
- To explore the role of bacteria in the development of prostatodynia.
Main Methods:
- Bacteriological localization studies were performed on segmented urine specimens from 22 patients and 16 controls.
- Immunological studies assessed humoral (IgG) immune responses in patient and control sera.
Main Results:
- Nine patients (41%) exhibited positive bacterial cultures from prostatic secretions, a statistically significant finding compared to controls (p < 0.025).
- Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the predominant bacterial isolates, accounting for 68% of positive cultures.
- No significant differences in humoral IgG immune responses were observed between patients and controls.
Conclusions:
- Bacteria may play an etiological role in a subset of patients diagnosed with prostatodynia.
- Antibiotic therapy showed clinical efficacy in treating prostatodynia, supporting a bacterial link.