Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a relatively rare condition that usually presents with an intermittent UTI-type picture. It is defined as recurrent urinary tract infections in men originating from a chronic infection in the prostate. Symptoms may be completely absent until there is also bladder infection, and the most troublesome problem is usually recurrent cystitis.[2] It has been said that recurrent and relapsing UTIs (i.e., UTIs due to the same pathogen) are a hallmark of chronic bacterial prostatitis.[3][4][5]
Chronic bacterial prostatitis occurs in less than 5% of patients with prostate-related non-BPH lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).[citation needed]
Dr. Weidner, Professor of Medicine, Department of Urology, University of Gießen, has stated: "In studies of 656 men, we seldom found chronic bacterial prostatitis. It is truly a rare disease. Most of those were E-coli."[6]
In chronic bacterial prostatitis, there are bacteria in the prostate, but there may be no symptoms or milder symptoms than occur with acute prostatitis.[9] The prostate infection is diagnosed by culturing urine as well as prostate fluid (expressed prostatic secretions or EPS) which are obtained by the doctor performing a rectal exam and putting pressure on the prostate. If no fluid is recovered after this prostatic massage, a post massage urine should also contain any prostatic bacteria.[citation needed]
Prostate specific antigen levels may be elevated, although there is no malignancy. Semen analysis is a useful diagnostic tool.[10] Semen cultures are also performed. Antibiotic sensitivity testing is also done to select the appropriate antibiotic. Other useful markers of infection are seminal elastase and seminal cytokines.[citation needed]
Treatment
Curative therapy
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are effective in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis and are a first-line therapy for the condition.[11] A blood–prostate barrier exists that prevents many antibiotics from penetrating the prostate and achieving adequate antibacterial concentrations.[12][13][14] As such, only certain classes of antibiotics are effective and recommended for treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.[11][15] These include fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin; trimethoprim; tetracyclines like doxycycline; and macrolides like azithromycin and clarithromycin.[11][15][16] Fluoroquinolones are the first-line antibiotics for chronic bacterial prostatitis, whereas trimethoprim and tetracyclines are second-line antibiotics and azithromycin is reserved for special situations.[11][15]Fosfomycin has also been repurposed for chronic bacterial prostatitis and is increasingly being employed in its treatment.[15][17][16] Antibiotic therapy of chronic bacterial prostatitis requires prolonged antibiotic courses of generally 4 to 6weeks of treatment, but up to 12weeks of treatment.[11][15][7] Microbiological eradication rates have ranged from 40 to 77% for ciprofloxacin, 75 to 86% for levofloxacin, 77% for doxycycline, 80% for azithromycin, 80% for clarithromycin, and 62 to 77% for a combination of ciprofloxacin and azithromycin.[11][18] Although antibiotics are effective in the curative treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis, recurrence rates are high and range from 25 to 50%.[19]
Levofloxacin (the levorotatoryenantiomer of ofloxacin) has been found to reach prostatic fluid concentrations that are 5.5times higher than those of the same dose of ciprofloxacin.[20][21][22] These findings indicate that levofloxacin has a greater ability to penetrate the prostate than ciprofloxacin and suggest that it might be comparatively more effective in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.[20][21][22] However, clinical findings have been mixed, with one large clinical trial finding that levofloxacin was more effective than ciprofloxacin (bacterial eradication rate = 86% vs. 60%; clinical cure/improvement = 93% vs. 72%; bacterial recurrence rate = 4% vs. 19%) and another similarly large trial finding that they were equivalent (bacterial eradication rate = 75% vs. 77%; clinical cure/improvement = 75% vs. 73%).[11][20][18][23] Moxifloxacin shows even greater prostatic penetration than levofloxacin as well as a broader spectrum of antibacterial activity, with improved activity against Gram-positive bacteria and anaerobic pathogens.[16][19] It may be the only fluoroquinolone able to obtain prostatic concentrations that are 10-fold above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Enterococcus faecalis.[19] However, limited experience with and data on moxifloxacin for chronic bacterial prostatitis are available as of 2022.[19][16] Another limitation of moxifloxacin for such purposes is that it may have greater safety concerns than other fluoroquinolones, for instance higher cardiovascular risks.[16] Other fluoroquinolones that have also been used and found effective in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis include norfloxacin, lomefloxacin, ofloxacin, and prulifloxacin.[24][16]
Aside from fluoroquinolones, certain other antibiotics with the potential for improved activity, including minocycline, tigecycline, linezolid, daptomycin, clindamycin, and vancomycin, have also been used limitedly off-label in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis with reported success.[16][15][24] However, the safety of novel antibiotics for treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis is understudied and significant toxicities are known for many of them, which is especially of concern due to the long treatment courses required.[16] Antibiotics with poor prostatic penetration that may not be suitable for curative treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis include nitrofurantoin,[25][26][17][12][27]sulfamethoxazole, most penicillins (e.g., ampicillin, penicillin G), aminoglycosides, most cephalosporins, other β-lactams, and the tetracycline oxytetracycline, among others.[7][12][16][27] Findings on the penetration of amoxicillin into the prostate are inconsistent, with prostate tissue levels of 0.77 and 26.4μg/mL reported in two different studies.[12][28] Clinical findings of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid for treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis are also mixed, with reports of high rates of both success[26][29][30] and failure.[31][32] The more lipophilic tetracyclines minocycline and doxycycline show good or excellent prostate penetration like ciprofloxacin.[27][12][33]
The addition of prostate massage to courses of antibiotics was previously proposed as being beneficial and prostate massage may mechanically break up the biofilm and enhance the drainage of the prostate gland.[36][37] However, in more recent trials, this was not shown to improve outcome compared to antibiotics alone.[38]
Bacteriophages hold promise as another potential treatment for chronic bacterial prostatitis.[7][39]
Methenamine is a urinaryantiseptic and antibacterial agent which is used in the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).[42] It is non-inferior to low-dose prophylactic antibiotics for this purpose.[43][44][45] In contrast however, methenamine itself is not an antibiotic and does not promote antibiotic resistance.[42][43] The drug works by being selectively and pH-dependently decomposed in acidic environments like the bladder into the active form formaldehyde, which is potentlybactericidal.[42] Since formaldehyde is only formed from methenamine in acidic environments, it is not expected to be effective in the curative treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis, and hence is not recommended for such purposes.[42] Methenamine decomposes into formaldehyde at a pH of below 6,[42] whereas the normal pH of prostatic fluid is 6.5 to 6.7 and in chronic prostatitis the pH is 7.0 to 8.3.[12] However, in persistent chronic bacterial prostatitis, prophylactic methenamine may be useful as an alternative to low-dose prophylactic antibiotics in preventing prostatitis-derived UTIs and managing associated symptoms.[25] Prophylactic low-dose methenamine combined with an ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplement, which is theorized to enhance its activity by making the urine more acidic, has been reported to be effective for this purpose based on clinical experience.[25] In any case, supporting clinical data for this use are lacking as of 2020.[25]
Over time, the relapse rate is high, exceeding 50%. However, recent research indicates that combination therapies offer a better prognosis than antibiotics alone.
A 2007 study showed that repeated combination pharmacological therapy with antibacterial agents (ciprofloxacin/azithromycin), alpha-blockers (alfuzosin) and Serenoa repens extracts may eradicate infection in 83.9% of patients with clinical remission extending throughout a follow-up period of 30 months for 94% of these patients.[48]
A 2014 study of 210 patients randomized into two treatment groups found that recurrence occurred within 2months in 27.6% of the group using antibiotics alone (prulifloxacin 600mg), but in only 7.8% of the group taking prulifloxacin in combination with Serenoa repens extract, Lactobacillus sporogens (now Heyndrickxia coagulans), and arbutin (a combination referred to by the name "Lactorepens").[49]
Large prostatic stones was shown to be related with the presence of bacteria,[50] a higher urinary symptoms and pain score, a higher IL-1β and IL-8 concentration in seminal plasma, a greater prostatic inflammation and a lower response to antibiotic treatment.[51]
Epidemiology
In a 2008 systematic review of 10,617men, 8.2% had experienced prostatitis symptoms.[11][52] It has been estimated that 35 to 50% of men may be affected by prostatitis symptoms during their lifetime.[11]
Additional images
Prostate, urethra, and seminal vesicles.
The arteries of the pelvis.
Male pelvic organs seen from right side.
References
^Holt JD, Garrett WA, McCurry TK, Teichman JM (February 2016). "Common Questions About Chronic Prostatitis". American Family Physician. 93 (4): 290–6. PMID26926816.
^ abcdefMarquez-Algaba E, Burgos J, Almirante B (June 2022). "Pharmacotherapeutic interventions for the treatment of bacterial prostatitis". Expert Opin Pharmacother. 23 (9): 1091–1101. doi:10.1080/14656566.2022.2077101. PMID35574695.
^Wagenlehner FM, Pilatz A, Bschleipfer T, Diemer T, Linn T, Meinhardt A, et al. (August 2013). "Bacterial prostatitis". World Journal of Urology. 31 (4): 711–6. doi:10.1007/s00345-013-1055-x. PMID23519458. S2CID1925596.
^ abcdefCharalabopoulos K, Karachalios G, Baltogiannis D, Charalabopoulos A, Giannakopoulos X, Sofikitis N (December 2003). "Penetration of antimicrobial agents into the prostate"(PDF). Chemotherapy. 49 (6): 269–279. doi:10.1159/000074526. PMID14671426. S2CID14731590. Good to excellent penetration into prostatic fluid and tissue has been demonstrated with many antimicrobial agents, including tobramycin, netilmicin, tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, sulfonamides and nitrofurantoin. [...] Nitrofurantoin is a lipid-soluble weak acid with a pKa value that is somewhat favorable for diffusion into prostatic fluid [78]. Although low levels of nitrofurantoin were achieved in prostatic fluid in dogs, the administration of standard oral doses of this drug to men results in levels of ≤1 μg/ml of blood; such levels guarantee that the levels attained in prostatic fluid will be nontherapeutic.
^ abcdefSu ZT, Zenilman JM, Sfanos KS, Herati AS (June 2020). "Management of Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis". Curr Urol Rep. 21 (7): 29. doi:10.1007/s11934-020-00978-z. PMID32488742. Chronic oral antibiotic suppression for men with persistent or recurrent prostatic infections despite antibiotic treatment is frequently used in clinical practice, even though supporting data are presently lacking [2, 18]. This approach appears to be generally effective, so long as suppression can be maintained [17]. Suitable choices include nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, methenamine, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, or any agent previously effective for the isolated pathogen. [...] In our experience, many patients who previously struggled with symptomatic recurrences have been well controlled with chronic low-dose prophylaxis with methenamine combined with a vitamin C supplement. However, the long-term utility of prophylaxis with methenamine therapy is not well documented in the existing literature [60].
^ abLipsky BA, Byren I, Hoey CT (June 2010). "Treatment of bacterial prostatitis". Clin Infect Dis. 50 (12): 1641–1652. doi:10.1086/652861. PMID20459324. Nitrofurantoin prostatic levels are likely nontherapeutic.
^Pilmis B, Lécuyer H, Lortholary O, Charlier C (November 2015). "Enterococcus faecalis-related prostatitis successfully treated with moxifloxacin". Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 59 (11): 7156–7157. doi:10.1128/AAC.01988-15. PMC4604358. PMID26349832. The treatment of enterococcal prostatitis remains a challenge because of the paucity of antibiotics achieving both bactericidal effect and good prostatic diffusion. Indeed, prostatic concentrations of amoxicillin have not been consistently assessed, with concentrations varying from 0.77 to 26 μg/ml (2).
^Bowen DK, Dielubanza E, Schaeffer AJ (August 2015). "Chronic bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome". BMJ Clin Evid. 2015. PMID26313612. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (co-amoxiclav) and clindamycin. One case series included 50 men resistant to empirical treatment with quinolones. The expressed prostatic secretions from 24 of these men exhibited high colony counts of gram-positive and gram-negative anaerobic bacteria, either alone (18 men) or in combination with aerobic bacteria (6 men). After treatment with either amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or clindamycin for 3 to 6 weeks, all men had a decrease or total elimination of symptoms, and no anaerobic bacteria were detected in prostatic secretions.
^Szöke I, Török L, Dósa E, Nagy E, Scultéty S (June 1998). "The possible role of anaerobic bacteria in chronic prostatitis". Int J Androl. 21 (3): 163–168. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2605.1998.00110.x. PMID9669200. Patients with chronic prostatitis who gave positive culture results for anaerobes were treated with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or clindamycin for 3-6 weeks. After treatment, samples were again taken and cultured for all pathogens known to cause prostatitis. These post-therapeutic samples revealed a decrease or total elimination of the symptoms, and no anaerobic bacteria could be detected.
^Benway BM, Moon TD (February 2008). "Bacterial prostatitis". Urologic Clinics of North America. 35 (1): 23–32, v. doi:10.1016/j.ucl.2007.09.008. PMID18061021. Although penicillin derivatives have a reported role in the treatment of acute bacterial prostatitis, one study found that no patients treated with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid had resolution of their prostatitis [7,60].
^Shoskes DA, Zeitlin SI (May 1999). "Use of prostatic massage in combination with antibiotics in the treatment of chronic prostatitis". Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2 (3): 159–162. doi:10.1038/sj.pcan.4500308. PMID12496826. In the NIH category II patients, there was no correlation between type of organism isolated or antibiotic used with response to therapy with the exception that no patient treated with [amoxicillin]–clavulonic acid had a complete and durable response.
^ abcdefghijSchoeb DS, Schlager D, Boeker M, Wetterauer U, Schoenthaler M, Herrmann TR, Miernik A (November 2017). "Surgical therapy of prostatitis: a systematic review". World J Urol. 35 (11): 1659–1668. doi:10.1007/s00345-017-2054-0. PMID28612108. S2CID9256455.
^Ateya A, Fayez A, Hani R, Zohdy W, Gabbar MA, Shamloul R (April 2006). "Evaluation of prostatic massage in treatment of chronic prostatitis". Urology. 67 (4): 674–8. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2005.10.021. PMID16566972.
^ abShoskes DA, Hakim L, Ghoniem G, Jackson CL (April 2003). "Long-term results of multimodal therapy for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome". The Journal of Urology. 169 (4): 1406–10. doi:10.1097/01.ju.0000055549.95490.3c. PMID12629373.
^Appiya Santharam M, Khan FU, Naveed M, Ali U, Ahsan MZ, Khongorzul P, Shoaib RM, Ihsan AU (August 2019). "Interventions to chronic prostatitis/Chronic pelvic pain syndrome treatment. Where are we standing and what's next?". European Journal of Pharmacology. 857: 172429. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172429. PMID31170381.
^ abcdeLo TS, Hammer KD, Zegarra M, Cho WC (May 2014). "Methenamine: a forgotten drug for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in a multidrug resistance era". Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 12 (5): 549–554. doi:10.1586/14787210.2014.904202. PMID24689705.
^Li JM, Cosler LE, Harausz EP, Myers CE, Kufel WD (February 2024). "Methenamine for urinary tract infection prophylaxis: A systematic review". Pharmacotherapy. 44 (2): 197–206. doi:10.1002/phar.2895. PMID37986168.
^Davidson SM, Brown JN, Nance CB, Townsend ML (March 2024). "Use of Methenamine for Urinary Tract Infection Prophylaxis: Systematic Review of Recent Evidence". Int Urogynecol J. 35 (3): 483–489. doi:10.1007/s00192-024-05726-2. PMID38329493.
^Lee CB, Ha US, Yim SH, Lee HR, Sohn DW, Han CH, Cho YH (2011). "Does finasteride have a preventive effect on chronic bacterial prostatitis? Pilot study using an animal model". Urol Int. 86 (2): 204–209. doi:10.1159/000320109. PMID21273757.
^Seo SI, Lee SJ, Kim JC, Choi YJ, SW SW, Hwang TK, Cho YH (September 2003). "Effects of androgen deprivation on chronic bacterial prostatitis in a rat model". Int J Urol. 10 (9): 485–491. doi:10.1046/j.1442-2042.2003.00666.x. PMID12941127.
^Magri V, Trinchieri A, Pozzi G, Restelli A, Garlaschi MC, Torresani E, et al. (May 2007). "Efficacy of repeated cycles of combination therapy for the eradication of infecting organisms in chronic bacterial prostatitis". International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 29 (5): 549–56. doi:10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2006.09.027. PMID17336504.