Primary Tuberculosis of the Glans Penis in Male Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Report on Two Cases

Abstract

An extremely rare form of genitourinary tract tuberculosis (TB) is TB of the glans penis. Here, we report on two men with TB of the glans, both occurring secondary to their wives having genital TB. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this nature from Iran. One case is a 48 year-old blind male with an asymptomatic papulo-pustular eruption over the glans and, the other is a 51 year-old male who had kidney transplantation in March 2004, and was referred to our transplantation clinic nine months later with papulonecrotic ulcer on the glans which did not respond to antibiotic therapy. Both patients responded well to anti-TB treatment. Our cases suggest that every papulonecrotic lesion on the glans must raise the suspicion of TB, and an underlying active or healed focus of TB should be thoroughly searched. Also, it is very important, particularly in endemic areas, that prior to transplanting a male patient, his female partner must be examined for TB of the genitalia.

Keywords

• Glans Tuberculosis
• Genitourinary tuberculosis
• Penile tuberculosis
• Kidney transplantation.