Measurement of Urinary Antibodies to Crude Bacterial Antigen in Patients with Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

Abstract

Measurements of IgG and IgA antibodies against common gram negative organisms in pre and post prostatic massage urines were investigated. Lower tract urinary localization specimens were obtained in men with chronic bacterial prostatitis, nonbacterial prostatitis, and without evidence of infection. Quantitative cultures were performed on all specimens. A rapid and simple enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) was developed to measure urinary total immunoglobulins and antibodies to common gram negative organisms (mixed antigen-specific antibodies, MASA). Comparison with a previously developed radioimmunoassay yielded a correlation determinant of 0.89 per cent. Almost all patients had post prostatic massage urinary IgA and IgG levels that were higher than the premassage levels, reflecting the presence of prostatic fluid in the postmassage specimens. In only the patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis, however, were levels of IgA or IgG MASA in the postmassage urines higher than those measured in the premassage urines. This same elevation was found in the urinary specimens from men who could not be diagnosed to have bacterial prostatitis by traditional means on a specific occasion because of antibiotic treatment, inadequate specimens, or bacteriuria, but had chronic bacterial prostatitis confirmed traditionally on another occasion. No detectable MASA were measured in either the pre or postmassage urines of men without a history of previous urinary infections. From these data it appears that urinary MASA may be used to diagnose bacterial prostatitis in situations in which quantitative bacteriologic cultures cannot be performed. These measurements may, furthermore, be used to diagnose chronic bacterial prostatic infection in men who cannot be diagnosed to have bacterial prostatitis when prostatic fluid is unobtainable or culture results are uninterpretable.