TRIMETHYLAMINE AND BALANITIS IN CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED MALES

This paper aims to correlate clinical findings of smell, skin discharg e and anaerobic colonisation and trimethylamine level with subcoronal penile skin disease in circumcised and uncircumcised males. The data a re derived from 44 consecutive patients attending the Christchurch Sex ual Health Clinic. The results reveal that subcoronal skin problems we re not found in any of nine circumcised men. Eight uncircumcised men h ad foreskin infections, characterised by smell, skin discharge with a raised pH, polymicrobial infection with a high anaerobic bacterial cou nt, and a raised trimethylamine level. The study concludes that the pr esence of the foreskin is Likely to predispose to anaerobic colonisati on. While not necessarily increasing susceptibility to infections, suc h colonisation was likely to exacerbate an established clinical condit ion. Some of the subjects had no discernible skin condition, but in co njunction with the anaerobes and Gardnerella vaginalis produced a synd rome with characteristics similar to bacterial vaginosis.