The Role of Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum in Patients with Acute Epididymitis

Abstract

1) Fifty-eight patients suffering from acute epididymitis were investigated to assess the etiologic role of Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum.
Sixteen (42.1%) of the thirty-eight patients without underlying diseases yielded C. trachomatis from the urethral swabs, but no bacteriuria (≥10⁴CFU/ml) was recovered. C. trachomatis was isolated from epididymal aspirates in 4 out of 10 patients in whom C. trachomatis was isolated from the urethral swabs.
Of the twenty patients having underlying diseases, 11 men were associated with urinary tract infections, but C. trachomatis was not isolated from the urethral swabs from any of these patients.
2) The antibodies to C. trachomatis in 21 sera was determined by micro-immunofluorescence test. IgG antibodies to C. trachomatis were found in 88.9%(8/9) of the men with chlamydial infections and in 25%(3/12) of the men without chlamydial infections. IgM antibodies to C. trachomatis were not demonstrated in any case.
3) U. urealyticum was isolated from urethral swabs in 15 (25.9%) patients with acute epididymitis, but was not isolated from epididymal aspirates in any of the cases.
In conclusion, C. trachomatis was regarded as the major pathogen in acute epididymitis, especially in patients without underlying diseases. But, the significance of U. urealyticum in acute epididymitis was not certain.