The gumma and the gonad: syphilitic orchitis, a rare presentation of testicular swelling

Abstract

A 47-year-old man presented to his general practitioner (GP) with painful swelling of his right testis. He was diagnosed with epididymo-orchitis and a two-week course of erythromycin 500 mg four times daily was prescribed by his GP. Despite initial improvement, his symptoms persisted and he was referred to the local urology department. His sexual history revealed one lifetime sexual contact. A midstream urine sample grew non-lactose fermenting coliforms sensitive to ciprofloxacin and a two-week course of ciprofloxacin 500 mg two times daily was prescribed. Despite clinical improvement, a persistent suspicious abnormality on the ultrasound scan of his right testis prompted a right radical inguinal orchidectomy to exclude malignancy. Further diagnostic tests including histopathology excluded malignancy but confirmed tertiary syphilis. A comprehensive literature search revealed only 11 confirmed cases in the past 59 years.