Infectious diseases of the male and female urogenital tract: a review of the histology of selected entities

This review will describe histological features of infectious diseases involving the urogenital tract, and is organized by organ or location. Emphasis is placed on selected parasitic, viral and bacterial infections that either occur more frequently in the urogenital tract than elsewhere (schistosomiasis), or are of particular importance to the pathologist because of their common occurrence and relation to malignancy (human papillomavirus), or relationship to pelvic inflammatory disease (actinomycosis). Detailed discussions of the life cycle of schistosomiasis and the characteristics of human papillomavirus are included because knowledge of their interactions with the human host is important in order to understand the histological features seen in these infections. The histological features of these infections will be discussed, as well as selected inflammatory conditions that may mimic infection. Only brief comments will be made of bacterial and other viral infections, many of them sexually transmitted, that occur in the urogenital tract and are more commonly diagnosed by means other than histological examination, or may involve the urogenital tract as part of a systemic infection. Cervical cytology is not discussed.