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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2007, p. 3721-3728, Vol. 45, No. 11
0095-1137/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01543-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Direct Visualization of Propionibacterium acnes in Prostate Tissue by Multicolor Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization Assay{triangledown}

Oleg A. Alexeyev,1* Ingrid Marklund,1 Beverley Shannon,2 Irina Golovleva,3 Jan Olsson,1 Charlotte Andersson,3 Irene Eriksson,5 Ronald Cohen,2,4 and Fredrik Elgh1,5

Departments of Pathology,1 Clinical Genetics,3 Virology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,5 Tissugen/Uropath Pty. Ltd,2 Faculty of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia4

Received 2 August 2007/ Returned for modification 4 September 2007/ Accepted 7 September 2007

Prostate tissues from patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) frequently contain histological inflammation, and a proportion of these patients show evidence of Propionibacterium acnes infection in the prostate gland. We developed a multicolor fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay targeting P. acnes 23S rRNA along with a 14-kb region of the P. acnes genome. This assay was used to analyze prostate tissues from patients with prostate cancer and BPH. P. acnes infection of the prostate gland was demonstrated in prostatic tissue in 5 of 10 randomly selected prostate cancer patients. FISH analysis and confocal laser microscopy imaging revealed intracellular localization and stromal biofilm-like aggregates as common forms of P. acnes infection in prostate tissues from both prostate cancer and BPH patients. A sequential analysis of prostate tissue from individual patients suggested that P. acnes can persist for up to 6 years in the prostate gland. These results indicate that P. acnes can establish a persistent infection in the prostate gland. Further study is needed to clarify the link between this bacterium and prostatic inflammation which may contribute to the development of BPH and prostate cancer.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå S-90185, Sweden. Phone: 46-90-7854482. Fax: 46-90-7854484. E-mail: oleg.alexeyev{at}medbio.umu.se

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 19 September 2007.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2007, p. 3721-3728, Vol. 45, No. 11
0095-1137/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01543-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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