Detection of cryptic microorganisms in patients with chronic prostatitis by multiplex polymerase chain reaction

Abstract

Purpose: Chronic prostatitis frequently occurs in men of all ages. Recent studies suggest that fastidious microorganisms may play a role in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and significance of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis of CP/CPPS. Materials and Methods: First voided urine (FVU) and/or expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) were collected from 92 patients. Multiplex PCR, using Dual Specificity Oligo (DSO™) primers, was used to test for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), Mycoplasma hominis (MH), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU). Results: Multiplex PCR can be easily analyzed via visual comparison. Nine (39.1%) of the 23 CP/CPPS IIIa and 12 (17.4%) of the 69 IIIb patients had positive multiplex PCR, with a total of 27 microorganisms isolated, including CT, MH, MG, UU, TV and NG in 9, 7, 4, 4, 2 and 1 case, respectively. Co-infections with 2 or 3 organisms occurred in 5 cases. For the samples collected from 32 patients for both FVU and EPS, 68.7% gave the same results. Conclusions: Multiplex PCR, using DSO™ primers, can be useful for the simple detection of fastidious microorganisms in CP/CPPS. To achieve reliable results with multiplex PCR, feasible guidelines and standardization are of major importance. Further studies will be required to define the usefulness of molecular tests for CP/CPPS in clinical practice.