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Prostatitis Center |
Tucson, Arizona |
A Simple Biologic Assay for Antimicrobial Activity in EPS |
| J. Polacheck, D. Michaud, B. Hennenfent, A. Espinosa-Feliciano |
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Prostatitis Center and Carondelet Hospitals, Tucson, AZ |
| Antibiotics are generally believed to penetrate into the prostate with great difficulty. The reasons for that are not well known. There appears to be an adequate blood supply, and no blood/prostate barrier has been identified. In chronic prostatitis, we have observed that prostatic glands are filled with prostatic inflammatory aggregates (PIAs), possibly resulting in functional micro-abscess. Also, the pH of expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) is often quite alkaline in disease states, thereby creating a potential barrier to diffusion. |
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Therefore, we have devised a simple biologic assay for antimicrobial activity in EPS. Plain filter paper discs were soaked in EPS, dried, and then used for antibiotic sensitivity testing (Kirby-Bauer). For controls, we used blank filter paper discs and commercial antibiotic sensitivity discs. We tested the EPS soaked discs for the presence of antibiotic using bacteria with a known antibiotic sensitivity pattern. |
In preliminary studies we have found the following:
- EPS samples from patients with chronic prostatitis, obtained before they
started taking antibiotics, have never shown any detectable antibiotic activity.
- EPS samples from patients with chronic prostatitis, obtained while
taking oral antibiotics, usually, but not always, showed antibiotic
activity.
- For each antibiotic the level of activity was variable. The cause of
the variability is currently under study. It is hoped that this relatively simple procedure can be developed into a clinical test to manage patients with chronic prostatitis
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| Return to 1999 NIH abstracts |
Contacts
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- Mail
- 1701 W. St. Mary's Rd.
- Suite 102
- Tucson, Arizona 85754
- USA
- E-mail:
- jpolacheck@attglobal.net
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- Phone :
- 520-622-4599
- Answering Service:
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