Pathogen profile in men with inflammation of paraurethral glands

Objective To investigate the pathogen profile in men with inflammation of the paraurethral glands. Methods We enrolled 40 patients with first-onset, drug-naive inflammation of the paraurethral glands. Discharge from the lesions was collected for Gram staining. Microscopy was performed for screening for trichomonads and detecting Gram-negative intracellular diplococci within phagocytes. Cultures for detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Ureaplasma urealyticum and other bacteria, and Chlamydia-trachomatis-associated antigens were performed. PCR was conducted for herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2. Results From these 40 patients, there were nine microbial species, which included Gram-negative bacteria (23 cases, 54.8%), Gram-positive bacteria (15 cases, 35.7%) and other pathogens (4 cases, 9.5%). The top three pathogens were gonococci (38.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.7%) and Escherichia coli (14.3%). Conclusions Inflammation of paraurethral glands in men may be caused by a variety of pathogens and not just by gonococcal infection.