A man in Ireland has been diagnosed with a rare and unusual infection on his penis, potentially linked to his occupation involving dead animals. The 57-year-old sought medical attention at a Dublin hospital after experiencing symptoms including redness, swelling, and pain in his genital area over a week, accompanied by a fever. His medical background includes a kidney transplant from 15 years ago, requiring him to take immunosuppressive drugs, which can make him more susceptible to infections.
Initially, doctors suspected that a common bacterial skin infection, cellulitis, was responsible and prescribed standard antibiotics. However, his condition worsened, necessitating further consultation with infectious disease specialists.
Delving deeper into his medical history, doctors discovered that he had been experiencing systemic symptoms such as fever, night sweats, chills, appetite loss, and weight reduction over the preceding three months. His lifestyle was characterized by significant exposure to dead animals. Raised on a rural farm in Ireland, he worked as a butcher handling deer and cattle and was an avid hunter who often field-dressed game.
Considering these systemic symptoms, doctors conducted computed tomography (CT) scans of his chest, abdomen, and pelvic region to pinpoint the underlying cause. Results indicated numerous seed-like nodules in his lungs, which are indicative of a serious disease known as miliary tuberculosis.