Acute Bacterial Prostatitis in a 12-Year-Old Boy Without Any Underlying Disease

TL;DR

A 12-year-old boy with no prior health issues was diagnosed with acute bacterial prostatitis, a rare condition in children, after a prolonged fever.

Contribution

This case highlights the possibility of acute bacterial prostatitis in children without underlying diseases and the diagnostic challenges it presents.

Findings

Acute bacterial prostatitis can present as fever in children without prior health issues.

Contrast-enhanced CT imaging helped identify the cause of persistent fever.

Antimicrobial use before proper diagnosis can complicate treatment.

Abstract

Acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) is a common disease in adults but uncommon in children. Here, we report the case of a pediatric patient without any underlying disease who was diagnosed with ABP while trying to determine the cause of fever refractory to antimicrobial therapy. A previously healthy 12-year-old boy presented with a 13-day history of fever and malaise despite initial antimicrobial treatment. Further tests revealed pyuria and enlarged prostate with possible abscesses, which led to the diagnosis of ABP based on a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan. Although initial urine cultures were negative, Corynebacterium pyruviciproducens was detected in subsequent cultures. Antimicrobial therapy for 10 weeks led to improvement without relapse. This case demonstrates that ABP can cause fever in children. Moreover, it shows that contrast-enhanced CT imaging can help identify the cause of fever and that administration of antimicrobials before adequate investigations can confound the diagnosis and complicate the treatment.

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