Lactoferrin assay in urethritis and urethral prostatitis

: An immunochemical study of prostatic secretions in 97 patients with urethritis and urethroprostatitis has detected a significant rise of lactoferrin level in mixed infections (trichomonads + chlamydia and trichomonads + uroplasma--17 patients) versus control (14 healthy males) and group as a whole. In the control group a mean lactoferrin level was 51.2 +/- 8.4 mg/l (12 mg/l-67.3 mg/l), in the group as a whole 106 +/- 41.5 mg/l (19.5 mg/l to 334.8 mg/l) in patients with mixed infection 221.25 (102.9 mg/l to 334.8 mg/l). The assessment of diagnostic significance of the immunochemical test for lactoferrin in detection of mixed infections in urethritis and urethroprostatitis has shown that in threshold level of 150 mg/l the test's specificity was 87.5%, sensitivity 94.1%, effectiveness 88.65%, prognostic value of positive result 61.5%, of negative result 98.59%; in threshold level 200 mg/l the respective values were 100, 52.9, 91.75, 100 and 90.9%. Practical application of the proposed immunochemical test in detection of mono- and mixed infection is discussed.