Pathology of Urogenital Trichomoniasis in Men

Abstract

Despite the frequency with which Trichomonas vaginalis has been identified in genitourinary fluids, secretions, inflammatory exudates, and epithelial scrapings, neither the gross pathology nor the microscopic appearance of the associated inflammatory reaction has been well characterized in the male genitourinary tract. Strain¹ in 1945 described his treatment of small chronic abscesses of the prostate ducts associated with urinary trichomonads. Multiple lesions of prostatic urethra and prostatic ducts were illustrated. Roth² suggested in 1944 that histopathologic studies would provide valuable clues to the pathogenicity of trichomonads and stated that “prostatic tissue removed by transurethral prostatic resection, by perineal prostatectomy and at autopsy are under consideration at present.” Eight years later Herbert³ in his classic text on urologie pathology noted that Roth’s studies had not been published and commented that histologic changes of trichomoniasis had yet to be described in either the prostate or seminal vesicles.