Male genital tuberculosis: a review of the literature with instructive case reports

The prevalence of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, including cases at male genital sites, has remained relatively constant during the past two decades in the United States. The most common genital sites of tuberculous infection are the epididymis and prostate; the testicle is infected in a lower proportion of cases. The usual modes of genital involvement include descending infection from the kidneys, intracanalicular or direct extension from neighboring foci in the genital tract, and hematogenous seeding. Local symptoms are usually insidious and progressive. Systemic manifestations such as fever, chills, and sweats are infrequently present in isolated genital tuberculosis. Tuberculous genital infection can be confused with other bacterial (including nontuberculous mycobacterial) infections, fungal disease, tumors, and cysts as well as with a number of less common illnesses. Although some diagnostic and therapeutic indications for surgical excision still exist, the preferred approach to treatment is primarily multiple-drug antituberculous chemotherapy.