Anaerobic Bacteriuria in a Male Urologic Outpatient Population

Abstract

We screened 517 urine samples from male outpatients, many of whom had underlying urinary tract pathology, for anaerobic and aerobic bacteriuria. Of the 153 specimens containing greater than 10(5) bacteria per ml. 20% yielded anaerobes only and an additional 6% revealed mixed anaerobic and aerobic growth. Pyuria was found more frequently in samples containing anaerobic bacteriuria than in those containing no growth but not as frequently as when aerobic bacteria were present. The high counts of anaerobic bacteria in first-voided specimens compared to midstream and post-prostatic massage aliquots suggested a urethral source for most bacteria. However, suprapubic aspiration of bladder urine demonstrated the organism in 2 of 10 patients with high numbers of anaerobes and pyuria in voided samples.

Identification of low oxygen-tolerating bacteria in prostate secretions of cancer patients and discussion of possible aetiological significance

“…Although our study is small and lacks adequate matched contemporaneous controls, these preliminary results certainly are different from those obtained from normal urine by others using earlier techniques 30 as well as our small series of “normal” controls, admittedly without prostate massage. However, pooling this limited literature data base of 27 prostate cancers and 551 “controls” (Table 4 ) produces a highly statistically significant difference (Pearson's χ² = 70.304 (df = 1, p < 2.2e-16) with Yates' continuity correction), providing justification for a prospective study including age- and sex-matched control samples from routine health care procedures such as cardiac stents and hip replacements and patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).…”

“…It has been known since the study of Cooper et al . 1988 24 that anaerobes are present more frequently in the tissue biopsies of malignant than benign prostates and that this frequency was higher than contemporary reports of urine cultures of normal subjects 30 . Recently there has been a cluster of reports showing a higher frequency of the microaerophylic organism P. acnes in malignant compared to benign prostates 13 – 18 and reports that circumcision both reduces anaerobe contamination of the glans 22 and reduces the risk of prostate cancer 19 – 21 .…”

Infection and pyospermia in male infertility

“…Anaerobic bacteria normally colonize the male urethra and are thought to account for about 1 °7o of urinary tract infections [20]. Infection of the prostate and epididymis by anaerobes is very rare and, therefore, rarely implicated in genitourinary infections.…”