How I manage bacterial prostatitis

Background: Bacterial prostatitis is a highly prevalent infection responsible for significant morbidity among men. The diagnosis and treatment for bacterial prostatitis remains complicated. The difficulty in diagnosis is in part owing to the paucity of high-quality evidence that guides a clinician's interpretation of patients' history, physical examination, and laboratory findings. Treatment is challenging because of the few antimicrobials capable of prostate penetration, growing antimicrobial resistance limiting effective treatment options, and the high risk of recurrence.Objectives: We aimed to provide a useful resource for clinicians in effectively diagnosing and managing acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) and chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP). Sources: A PubMed literature search on prostatitis was performed with no restrictions on publication date.Content: The epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment for ABP and CBP are explored using a clinical vignette as relevant context.Implications: Bacterial prostatitis can be diagnosed through a focused history and microbiological investigations. The Meares-Stamey 4-glass test or modified 2-glass test can help confirm the diagnosis if uncertainty exists. Typical uropathogens are common contributors to bacterial prostatitis but there is growing interest in exploring the role atypical and traditional non-pathogenic organisms may have. Fluoroquinolones remain first-line therapy, followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) or doxycycline if the pathogen is susceptible. Fosfomycin has emerged as a repurposed and useful agent because of the increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Selection of appropriate antimicrobial regimens can be challenging and is dependent on the host, chronicity of symptoms, uropathogens' susceptibilities, antimicrobials' side effect profile, and the presence of prostatic abscesses or calcifications. ABP can typically be treated similar to other complicated urinary tract infections. However, CBP requires prolonged therapy, with a minimum of 4 weeks and up to 12 weeks of therapy. John C. Lam, Clin Microbiol Infect 2023;29:32 (c) 2022 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Bacterial prostatitis is a common and complicated infection in men, with difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. The lack of high-quality evidence makes it challenging for clinicians to interpret patients' history, physical examination, and laboratory findings. Limited antimicrobials capable of prostate penetration, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, and the high risk of recurrence further complicate treatment options.