The perspectives of the application of phage therapy in chronic bacterial prostatitis

Abstract

Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) is a long-lasting and crippling disease that strongly impacts the patient's quality of life. The diagnosis of CBP is difficult and the treatment regimens are not always successful. Poor penetration of antibiotics to the prostate tissue, the drug resistance of uropathogens, the adverse events associated with antibiotic treatment, the persistence of prostatic calculi, and biofilm formation in the prostate gland are factors that contribute toward decreasing the cure rate of CBP. The phenomenon of increasing antibiotic resistance, which has also been called a clinical super-challenge, has revived interest in therapy using bacterial viruses (bacteriophages or phages). Because of their mechanism of action, which is completely different from those of all antibiotics, phages are effective even against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, we describe the current perspectives on the possible application of phage therapy (PT) in treating CBP. The advantages of therapeutic phages, including their interactions with bacterial biofilm, as well as the safety of PT are discussed. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.