Bacterial signatures and their inflammatory potentials associated with prostate cancer

Chronic inflammation can create a microenvironment that can contribute to the formation of prostate pathologies. Far less well understood is the origin of inflammation in the prostate. One potential source is microbial infections of the prostate. This review summarizes recent findings regarding the presence of bacteria in the prostate and the dysbiosis of bacterial populations in the urinary tract and the gastrointestinal tract related to prostate cancer, thereby focusing on next-generation sequencing (NGS)-generated data. The current limitations regarding NGS-based detection methods and other difficulties in the quest for a microbial etiology for prostate cancer are discussed. We then focus on a few bacterial species, including Cutibacterium acnes and Escherichia coli that are often NGS-detected in prostatic tissue specimens, and discuss their possible contribution as initiator or enhancer of prostate inflammation and prostate carcinogenesis.