CYTOMEGALOVIRAL EPIDIDYMITIS IN AIDS

Cytomegalovirus, a deoxyribonuclease virus, is a member of the Herpesviridae family. Infection commonly results from the reactivation of endogenous latent strains, although superinfection with additional strains can occur froin repeated exposure. As in the transplant patient population, cytomegalovirus in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients is a major cause of morbidity and mortality because it tends to disseminate widely and cause end-organ damage, primarily retinitis, but also esophagitis, enterocolitis, and pneumonitis. Its reported incidence as a pathogen in the urogenital tract appears to be on the rise, in part because of improved staining and culture techniques. Nonetheless, epididymitis due to cytomegalovirus is very uncommon, and in one series of 109 AIDS and AIDS-related-complex patients with cytomegaloviral disease, there were no cases of epididymitis reported [1].