IN a bizarre, never-before-seen case, a man was treated for food poisoning affecting his genital region. The 38-year-old sought help after suffering redness and swelling to his penis for about a week. He told urologists that symptoms had started shortly after having "vigorous intercourse" with his wife.
He denied suffering "trauma or laceration or any accidental bite" to his penis during it, but revealed he'd been struck by a severe bout of vomiting and diarrhoea soon after having sex. The doctors at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon, took a swab of the man's penis to test for infection. To their surprise, they identified "an unusual organism" that usually causes food poisoning as the source of his penile troubles.
Tests detected Bacillus cereus , a bacteria found in contaminated food including rice, beef, and vegetables. It releases harmful toxins and can bring on food poisoning , causing gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting. "This is the first case in literature describing such an entity," the report authors wrote in the journal Annals of Medicine and Surgery .
They explained that penile skin infections are generally caused by injuries and sexually transmitted pathogens or bacteria like group A streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus . "The recovery of B. cereus from the penile infection in our patient revealed the first case of such unusual infection," the authors added.
As doctors unravelled the mystery of the man's.