ABSTRACT
The microorganisms causing bacterial prostatitis are the same as those responsible for urinary tract infection (UTI). The routes of infection are ascending urethral infection, descending urethral infection, direct extension or lymphatic spread from colon and rectum, and possibly, blood-borne infection. Bacteria may reach the prostate through the urethra from the fossa navicularis of the glans penis. Recent studies indicate that bacterial prostatitis is commonly a sexually acquired disease. Acute inflammation may be seen in prostatic tissue removed because of benign nodular hyperplasia (BNH), or in prostate gland, obtained at autopsy. An acutely inflamed prostate is seldom biopsied. The inflammation is more likely focal than diffuse. Patients with acute bacterial prostatitis most commonly complain of sudden onset of dysuria, urinary frequency, urgency, hesitancy, and decreased urinary stream. Acute urinary retention is not uncommon. The pathogenic agents in chronic bacterial prostatitis are identical to those found in acute inflammation.
