Herpes Zoster involving penis and scrotum: an unusual occurrence

Herpes zoster is an infectious vesicular skin rash in a dermatomal distribution caused by Varicella zoster virus. It occurs very uncommonly in sacral dermatomes. We describe a case with rash on penis and scrotum due to involvement of S2 dermatome in a young male. The disease followed an uneventful course and the patient recovered completely without any sequelae or complications. This case is being presented to highlight its unusual location and to discuss differentiation from another viral infection commonly seen at this site

Human papillomavirus infection among sexual partners attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cervical cancer is a major source of illness and death among women worldwide and genital infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) its principal cause. There is evidence of the influence of the male factor in the development of cervical neoplasia. Nevertheless, the pathogenic processes of HPV in men are still poorly understood. It has been observed that different HPV types can be found among couples. The objective of the present study was to investigate HPV infections in female patients (n = 60 females/group) as well as in their sexual partners and to identify the concordance of HPV genotypes among them. By using the polymerase chain reaction, we detected a 95% prevalence of HPV DNA in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) compared to 18.3% in women with normal cervical epithelium, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The HPV DNA prevalence was 50% in male partners of women with CIN and 16.6% in partners of healthy women. In the control group (healthy women), only 9 couples were simultaneously infected with HPV, and only 22.2% of them had the same virus type, showing a weak agreement rate (kappa index = 0.2). Finally, we observed that HPV DNA was present in both partners in 30 couples if the women had CIN, and among them, 53.3% shared the same HPV type, showing moderate agreement, with a kappa index of 0.5. This finding supports the idea of circulation and recirculation of HPV among couples, perpetuating HPV in the sexually active population, rather than true recurrences of latent infections.

Prevalencia de la infección genital por virus papiloma humano en hombres universitarios voluntarios de la IX Región, Chile / Prevalence of human papillomavirus genital infection among male university students

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Aim: To determine prevalence of HPV genital infection in voluntary asymptomatic male university students. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study in 62 asymptomatic, sexually active male students. Exfoliated cells were obtained from the penüe shaft and coronal sulcus. Samples were analyzed for HPV DNA detection and genotyping by polymerase chain reaction and Reverse Line Blot. Results: The prevalence of HPV infection was 84 percent. HPV detection was 77 percent in penile shaft and 66 percent in coronal sulcus. The most commonly detected types were HPV-16 (45 percent), HPV-11 (19 percent), HPV-6 (10 percent) and HPV-18 (9 percent). Múltiple infection wasfoundin 54 percent. The most frequent combinations were VPH11/16 (18 percent) and VPH16/18 (5 percent). Conclusions: HPV infection is highly frequent in asymptomatic male university students, high rísk HPV types were greatly predominant.

Human Papillomavirus infection in men residing in Brazil, Mexico, and the USA / Infección por Virus de Papiloma Humano en hombres de Brasil, México y EUA

OBJECTIVE: To assess Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type distribution among men ages 18 years and older recruited from three different countries utilizing a common protocol for sampling HPV detection, and to evaluate whether HPV detection differs by age and country. MATERIAL AD METHODS: The study protocol includes a pre-enrollment run-in visit, a baseline (enrollment) visit, and nine additional visits after enrollment scheduled six months apart. For this analysis, the first 1160 men who completed both the run-in and baseline visit were included. To maximize sampling and prevent fraying of applicators, three different applicators were utilized to sample the external genitalia of participants among different anatomic sites. These samples were later combined to form a single sample for the detection of HPV using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification of a fragment of the HPV L1 gene. RESULTS: Among 1160 men from Brazil, Mexico, and the United States (U.S.), overall HPV prevalence was 65.2 percent; with 12.0 percent oncogenic types only, 20.7 percent non-oncogenic types only, 17.8 percent both oncogenic and non-oncogenic, and 14.7 percent unclassified infections. Multiple HPV types were detected in 25.7 percent of study participants. HPV prevalence was higher in Brazil (72.3 percent) than in the U.S. (61.3 percent) and Mexico (61.9 percent). HPV 16 (6.5 percent), 51 (6.5 percent), and 59 (5.3 percent) were the most commonly detected oncogenic infections, and HPV 84 (7.7 percent), 62 (7.3 percent), and 6 (6.6 percent) were the most commonly detected non-oncogenic infections. Overall HPV prevalence was not associated with age. However, significant associations with age were observed when specific categories of oncogenic, non-oncogenic, and unclassified HPV infections were considered. CONCLUSIONS: Studies of HPV type distribution among a broad age range of men from multiple countries is needed to fill the information gap internationally ...

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la distribución tipo específica de infección por Virus del Papiloma Humano (VPH) entre hombres de 18 años o más de tres países con un protocolo común para el muestreo de la detección de VPH, y evaluar si la detección de VPH varía de acuerdo con la edad y el país. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: El estudio incluye diversas etapas que inician con la identificación de hombres susceptibles, una medición basal (visita de enrolamiento) y nueve visitas adicionales programadas cada seis meses. En este artículo, se presenta el análisis de los primeros 1160 hombres que fueron incluídos en el estudio. Para maximizar la posibilidad de detección de VPH se utilizó un cepillo de dacrón que muestreó en forma combinada diferentes sitios anatómicos. Para la determinación de ADN de VPH se utilizó ión en cadena de polimerasa (PCR) por amplificación de un fragmento del gen de VPH L1. RESULTADOS: Entre 1160 hombres de Brasil, México y EUA, la prevalencia global de VPH fue de 65.2 por ciento, con solamente 12 por ciento de tipos oncogénicos, 20.7 por ciento de tipos de VPH no oncogénicos, 17.8 por ciento de muestras positivas a tipos oncogénicos y no oncogénicos; y finalmente 14.7 por ciento de infecciones no clasificadas. Múltiples tipos de VPH fueron detectados en 25.7 por ciento de los participantes en el estudio. La prevalencia de VPH fue más alta en Brasil (72.3 por ciento), comparada con la observada en EUA (61.3 por ciento) y México (61.9 por ciento). Los tipos de VPH 16 (6.5 por ciento), 51 (6.5 por ciento) y 59 (5.3 por ciento) fueron los más comúnmente observados con poder oncogénico. El VPH 84 (7.7 por ciento), 62 (7.3 por ciento) y 6 (6.6 por ciento) fueron las infecciones no oncogénicas más comunes. CONCLUSIONES: Son necesarios estudios de la distribución de VPH en un amplio margen de edad entre hombres de múltiples países, para establecer con mayor precisión, el conocimiento de la historia natural de la infección por VPH en hombres.