Mpox and Chicken Pox Coinfection Complicated by Acute Urinary Retention: A Case Report

Mpox and Chicken pox have similar presentations, sometimes causing a diagnostic dilemma. Reports have emerged of coinfections, mostly in the central African region.

Index patient is a 23-year-old female who presented with a 2-week history of exanthematous vesiculopustular rashes which started from her genital and groin area with accompanying vulvar swelling. It was then followed by other similar rashes involving mainly her face and limbs with some on her trunk. There was also an associated high grade continuous fever. Rashes were painful and itchy with associated cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy. Following admission, patient had increasing dysuria with accompanying acute urinary retention due to the discomfort accompanying micturition which was relieved by urethral catheterization and resolved with intravenous infusion and parenteral empirical antibiotics for superimposed bacterial infection. Polymerase chain reaction from her skin lesion sample was positive for both monkey pox and chicken pox. She was also given a course of acyclovir and made an uneventful recovery after 12 days of admission and was discharged.

We report a rare manifestation of acute urinary retention in a HIV-negative female patient with Mpox and chicken pox co-infection.