Tuberculous prostate abscesses in an immunocompetent patient: A dramatic presentation of disseminated tuberculosis

Germs. 2014 Jun 2;4(2):41-5. doi: 10.11599/germs.2014.1054. eCollection 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Genitourinary tuberculosis (TB) is infrequently reported in the United States, but is a common form of extrapulmonary TB that often goes unnoticed due to its insidious and sometimes asymptomatic presentation. Prostate involvement and the development of tuberculous prostatic abscesses have been reported in the literature largely in association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We report a case of disseminated TB involving tuberculous prostatic abscesses in a patient without HIV/AIDS, presenting with sepsis and urinary symptoms. This patient had simultaneous prostatic, peritoneal, pulmonary, and likely renal TB, serving as a reminder to clinicians that multi-organ presentations of TB do occur in patients without overt immunosuppressive conditions. This case also highlights the importance of considering the diagnosis of genitourinary TB in patients with risk factors for TB presenting with vague, long-standing urinary symptoms.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; abscess; genitourinary system; prostate.

Publication types

  • Case Reports