Prostatitis

Chlamydia and Prostatitis

bacteria such as chlamydiae may cause prostatitis and cannot be cultured on conventional bacteriological culture.  It was concluded that patients with prostatitis harbor bacteria which are not readily detected by conventional bacterial culture.

To summarize, C. trachomatis is associated with prostatitis in younger men.  It seems likely that it plays a causal role, though this has yet to be proven. In older men with urinary tract abnormalities, recognized urinary tract pathogens play an important role. In the vast majority of men with prostatitis, however,  no specific bacterial pathogen is recognized and they often respond poorly to antibacterial agents. Broad spectrum techniques, such as global PCR, capable of amplifying any bacterial ribosomal nucleic acid, offer special promise for research into this common problem.