EVALUATION OF NONINVASIVE CLINICAL-SAMPLES IN CHRONIC CHLAMYDIAL PROSTATITIS BY USING IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION

Seventy-eight non-invasive prostate specimens collected from patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis were evaluated by in situ hybri dization (IH) for evidence of Chlamydia trachomatis. Intracellular Chl amydia bodies were detected in 18 of 78 cases (20.6%). Homogeneous blu e-black bodies in the cellular cytoplasm were accepted as in situ posi tive. Chlamydial antigen detected by enzyme immune assay (EIA) was pos itive in 12 cases (13.7%), but only nine of them were positive by IH. Our study confirms previous reports implicating C. trachomatis as an a etiological agent in chronic non-bacterial prostatitis, and underscore s the applicability of DNA probes for detection and identification of C. trachomatis in prostatic materials.