Serum antibody titers in treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for chronic prostatitis.

A comparative study of the clinical, bacteriologic, and serum antibody titer response of 22 men who received therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for chronic prostatitis due to various strains of Escherichia coli was done. Of the 7 patients who were cured by therapy on the basis of clinical and bacteriologic data, 6 of 6 patients who had elevated serum antibody titers prior to treatment demonstrated a decrease to normal range of serum titers during follow-up, confirming disappearance of the bacterial antigen. Of the 15 patients who were not cured on the basis of clinical and bacteriologic data, 12 of 12 patients who had elevated serum antibody titers prior to treatment demonstrated no change in serum titers throughout the study, confirming persistence of the bacterial antigen.