Bacteria Are an Uncommon Cause of Pediatric Epididymitis

Adult epididymitis is usually caused by enteric or sexually transmitted organisms, whereas pediatric epididymitis is thought to be caused by ascending urinary pathogens. To determine the frequency of bacterial causes of pediatric epididymitis, investigators reviewed charts of patients aged ≤18 years with epididymitis diagnosed at an urban pediatric emergency department in California from 1996 to 2006. The cause was considered to be bacterial if urine cultures were positive.

Of 140 patients who met inclusion criteria, 124 (89%) underwent urinalysis, urine culture, or both. Although only nine patients had positive results on one or both tests, 91% of all patients were treated empirically with antibiotics, most often cephalexin or cotrimoxazole…