Bacterial and non-bacterial prostatitis: detection of chlamydia trachomatis, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus

ABSTRACT

Eighty-six patients with persistent symptoms of chronic prostatitis were screened for possible aetiological organisms affecting the prostate. Our study entailed a culture of expressed prostatic secretion [EPS] for bacteria. A positive culture was obtained in 40 [46.5%] patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis [CBP]. Forty-six patients [53.5%] were negative for a bacterial culture of EPS and therefore categorized as having non-bacterial prostatitis [NBP]. Immunofluorescence study of the EPS revealed that 12 [26%] out of these 46 patients with non-bacterial prostatitis were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. Prostatic specimens taken by perineal needle biopsy from all patients with non-bacterial prostatitis were tested for vira antigens by immunoperoxidase study [15.2%] of these prostatic biopsies gave positive results for Cytomegalovirus [CMV] antigen, while 3 [6.5%] showed a positive immunoperoxidase reaction for Herpes Simplex virus type II [HSV-2]. In the remaining 24 [27.8%] patients, no definite organism could be isolated. The results demonstrate that chlamydial and viral prostatitis cover a reasonable group of patients with non-bacterial disease in whom the effort should be directed to eradicating these organisms from the prostate