title: Comparison of polymerase chain reaction and immunologic methods for the detection of nanobacterial infection in type-III prostatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunologic methods for the detection of nanobacteria (NB) in the expressed prostatic secretions (EPSs) of patients with type-III prostatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 150 patients with type-III prostatitis for whom conventional clinical treatment had failed were selected from September 2009 to April 2010. The EPS of each patient was divided into 3 parts, which were used for PCR analysis, indirect immunofluorescence staining (IIFS), and culture and subsequent indirect immunofluorescence staining (CIIFS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCR analysis has a higher sensitivity than IIFS for the detection of NB in EPSs. Of 83 CIIFS-positive EPS samples, 79 (95.2%) were positive by PCR. Of 67 EPS samples that were negative by CIIFS, 60 (89.6%) were negative by PCR. The sensitivity of PCR for the detection of NB compared with the CIIFS method was 95.2%, with a specificity of 89.6%. The positive predictive value was 91.9%, and the negative predictive value was 93.8%. A comparative evaluation showed no statistically significant difference between PCR and CIIFS in the detection of NB in EPSs. A strong agreement in the positive and the negative results obtained by PCR and CIIFS for NB detection was found for all EPS samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCR analysis has a higher sensitivity than IIFS for NB detection in type-III prostatitis. PCR can detect nanobacterial infection in type-III prostatitis equally well as CIIFS and offers significant advantages for the rapid, simple, and economical detection of nanobacterial infection in type-III prostatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Urological Surgery Research Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Urological Surgery Research Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jinyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Urological Surgery Research Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Supei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Urological Surgery Research Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Xuecheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Urological Surgery Research Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: Zhouzhansong@sohu.com.
authors.forename: Zhansong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D059587:Calcifying Nanoparticles / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism*; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D059587:Calcifying Nanoparticles