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==Circumcision infection==
The human [[foreskin]] has numerous functions that protect against infection.<ref>{{REFjournal
Circumcision is a surgical operation and [[amputation]] that creates an open surgical wound on the [[penis]]. The open wound does not heal immediately. For a period of time during and after the surgery it is subject to invasion by a wide variety of bacterial, viral, or fungal  pathogens.<ref name="williams1993">{{REFjournal
|last=Fleiss
|first=
|init=PM
|author-link=Paul M. Fleiss
|last2=Hodges
|first2=
|init2=FM
|author2-link=Frederick M. Hodges
|last3=Van Howe
|first3=
|init3=RS
|author3-link=Robert S. Van Howe
|etal=no
|title=Immunological Functions of the Human Prepuce.
|trans-title=
|language=
|journal=Sex Trans Inf
|location=
|date=1998-10
|volume=74
|issue=5
|article=
|page=
|pages=364-7
|url=https://www.galdef.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Fleiss-Hodges-VanHowe-Immunol-SexTransInf-1998.pdf
|archived=
|quote=
|pubmedID=
|pubmedCID=
|DOI=
|doi=
|format=PDF
|accessdate=2025-11-08
}}</ref>  <ref name="cold-taylor1999">{{ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999}}</ref> Infection is a well-known possible complication of circumcision. [[Circumcised]] males have an increased risk of infection due to the creation of an open wound and the loss of the protective functions of the foreskin.
==Informed consent==
When American surgeons are seeking [[informed consent]] for the [[amputation]] of the [[foreskin]], they [[Informed_consent#Physician_behavior| customarily omit information]] about the [[immunological and protective function of the foreskin]], and which will be destroyed and will result in increased risk of infection, from the information provided to parents.
==Infection myth==
There is a myth prevalent and widely believed in the [[United States]] that the human [[foreskin]] is prone to infection. The myth is false and is caused by antiquated, incorrect medical information that was published more than a century ago by a [[Circumcised doctors| circumcised Jewish doctor]], [[Abraham L. Wolbarst]], with an ulterior motive.<ref name="wolbarst1914">{{REFjournal
|last=Wolbarst
|first=Abraham L.
|init=AL
|author-link=Abraham L. Wolbarst
|title=Universal Circumcision as a Sanitary Measure
|journal=JAMA
|date=1914-01-10
|volume=62
|issue=2
|pages=92-97
|url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/453164
|accessdate=2020-03-30
}}</ref> a later 1945 government document advised the foreskin should be retracted, and the area washed, which actually provides an entryway for infection.<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|author-link=
|year=1945
|title=Infant Care 1945
|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435072797103&seq=7
|work=
|editor=U.S. Children's Bureau
|edition=
|volume=
|chapter=Chapter Six: Baths
|scope=
|page=33
|pages=
|location=
|publisher=Federal Security Agency
|ISBN=
|quote=In a boy the foreskin should be pushed up, so the tip of the penis can be cleaned. This can be done by putting two fingers on the penis and pushing the foreskin away from the tip, much as you would work your finger into a snug glove. Clean the part of the penis under the foreskin with cotton dipped in clear water or in oil. Then gently pull the foreskin back into place. The foreskin should never be left pushed up after cleaning.
|accessdate=2026-03-11
|note=
}}</ref>
 
American parents may still be told this ancient myth when doctors and/or hospitals fish for an additional [[Financial incentive| fee]] for a medically-unnecessary, harmful [[circumcision]] of a newborn son.
 
==Circumcision infection actual facts==
The [[foreskin]], like the eyelid, also serves an important [[Foreskin#Immunological_functions| protective and hygienic function]]. The [[foreskin]] provides physical protection of the delicate [[glans]] of the [[penis]] and puts the [[urethra]] at a distance from its environment, protecting it from foreign pathogens and contaminants of all kinds while simultaneously shielding the [[penis]] from traumatic injury.<ref name="fleiss-hodges-vanhowe1998">{{FleissP HodgesF VanHoweRS 1998}}</ref> [[Amputation]] of the protective foreskin by circumcision increases risk of infection.
 
Neonatal [[circumcision]] is an elective, medically-unnecessary, non-therapeutic, harmful [[amputation]] of the healthy [[foreskin]] that is done only after parents sign a [[circumcision consent form]]. It exposes an infant to surgical risks, but does not treat or prevent disease.<ref name="deacon2022">{{REFjournal
|last=Deacon
|first=Matthew
|init=M
|author-link=
|last2=Muir
|first2=Gordon
|init2=G
|author2-link=
|etal=no
|title=What is the medical evidence on non-therapeutic child circumcision?
|journal= Int J Impot Res
|date=2022-01-08
|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-021-00502-y
|pubmedID=34997197
|DOI=10.1038/s41443-021-00502-y
|accessdate=2022-02-02
}}</ref> Circumcision is a harmful, injurious surgical operation and [[amputation]] that creates an open surgical wound on the [[penis]] that is kept inside a feces-laden diaper. [[Rosemary Romberg]] (2021) described infection as a "fairly common complication."<ref name="romberg2021">{{REFbook
|last=Romberg
|first=Rosemary
|init=
|author-link=Rosemary Romberg
|year=2021
|title=Circumcision — The Painful Dilemma
|url=https://circumcisionthepainfuldilemma.wordpress.com/
|work=
|editor=[[Ulf Dunkel]]
|edition=Second Edition, Revised
|volume=
|chapter=Infection
|scope=
|page=266
|pages=
|location=
|publisher=Kindle
|ISBN=23: 979-8683021252
|quote=
|accessdate=2023-08-31
|note=
}}</ref> The open wound does not heal immediately and is exposed to the feces (poop) in the diaper (nappie). For a period of time during and after the surgery it is subject to invasion by a wide variety of bacterial, viral, or fungal  pathogens.<ref name="williams1993">{{REFjournal
  |last=Williams
  |last=Williams
  |first=
  |first=
Line 67: Line 185:
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Maternity hospitals gather together newborn infants into a hospital nursery where they are cared for, which increases the risk of passing infection from one to the others. If an infant is compromised by an open surgical wound, then that infant is at greater risk of becoming infected. Male infants in America, where non-therapeutic infant circumcision remains popular, are more likely to become infected than female infants. ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a common infection and is worse when a methicillin resistant strain ([https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html MRSA]) is involved.  Thompson et al. (1966) reported a higher risk of ''staphylococcus'' infection in newborn circumcised males.<ref name="thompson1966">{{REFjournal
Maternity hospitals gather together newborn infants into a hospital nursery where they are cared for, which increases the risk of passing infection from one to the others. If an infant is compromised by an open surgical wound, then that infant is at greater risk of becoming infected. Male infants in America, where non-therapeutic infant [[circumcision]] remains popular, are more likely to become infected than female infants. ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a common infection and is worse when a methicillin resistant strain ([https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html MRSA]) is involved.  Thompson et al. (1966) reported a higher risk of ''staphylococcus'' infection in newborn [[circumcised]] males.<ref name="thompson1966">{{REFjournal
  |last=Thompson
  |last=Thompson
  |first=
  |first=
Line 135: Line 253:
}}</ref>  
}}</ref>  


[[Robert S. Van Howe|Van Howe]] & Robson (2007) examined reports of three outbreaks of community-associated methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (CA-MRSA) in American maternity hospital nurseries. They found that boys, with 73 percent of the cases, are at greater risk due to the prevalence of non-therapeutic [[circumcision]].  The authors, observed that CA-MRSA can progress to   bacteremia, osteomyelitis, pyelonephritis, perinephric abscess, lung abscess, empyema, [[shock]], and [[death]]. They suggested minimizing newborn circumcisions to reduce the risk of infection.<ref name="vanhowe2007">{{REFjournal
[[Robert S. Van Howe|Van Howe]] & Robson (2007) examined reports of three outbreaks of community-associated methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (CA-MRSA) in American maternity hospital nurseries. They found that boys, with 73 percent of the cases, are at greater risk due to the prevalence of non-therapeutic [[circumcision]].  The authors, observed that CA-MRSA can progress to bacteremia, osteomyelitis, pyelonephritis, perinephric abscess, lung abscess, empyema, [[shock]], and [[death]]. They suggested minimizing newborn circumcisions to reduce the risk of infection.<ref name="vanhowe2007">{{REFjournal
  |last=Van Howe
  |last=Van Howe
  |first=Robert S.
  |first=Robert S.
Line 163: Line 281:
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Infant non-therapeutic circumcisions do not cure disease and do not contribute to health. When infection occurs after a [[circumcision]] performed by a physician, then it may be considered to be [[iatrogenic]] as the infection would not have occurred if the circumcision had not been performed.
Infant non-therapeutic circumcisions do not cure disease and do not contribute to health.<ref name="allissa2025-03-25">{{REFweb
|url=https://intactamerica.org/post-circumcision-infections/
|title=The Risk of Infections Post-Circumcision: What They’re Not Telling You
|last=Alissa
|first=
|init=K
|author-link=Kristel Alissa
|publisher=Intact America
|date=2025-03-25
|accessdate=2025-03-27
}}</ref> When infection occurs after a [[circumcision]] performed by a physician, then it may be considered to be [[iatrogenic]] as the infection would not have occurred if the circumcision had not been performed.


In cases of [[adolescent and adult circumcision| adult circumcision]], erections may cause [[wound dehiscence]] (splitting open of the surgical wound) thereby increasing the risk of infection.<ref name="kaplan1983">{{REFjournal
In cases of [[adolescent and adult circumcision| adult circumcision]], erections may cause [[wound dehiscence]] (splitting open of the surgical wound) thereby increasing the risk of infection.<ref name="kaplan1983">{{REFjournal
Line 178: Line 306:
  |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/kaplan/#n62
  |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/kaplan/#n62
  |accessdate=2020-06-15
  |accessdate=2020-06-15
}}</ref>
Fendereski et al. (2024) reported a massive study using data from a private insurance company database that found that [[circumcised]] boys have three times as many penile issues as compared with [[intact]] boys through age 5. This study matched 852,051 [[circumcised]] boys with 852,051 [[intact]] boys who served as controls.<ref name=fendereski2024">{{REFjournal
|last=Fendereski
|first=
|init=K
|author-link=
|last2=Horns
|first2=
|init2=JJ
|author2-link=
|last3=Driggs
|first3=
|init3=N
|author3-link=
|last4=Lau
|first4=
|init4=G
|author4-link=
|last5=Shaeffer
|first5=
|init5=AJ
|author5-link=
|etal=no
|title=Comparing Penile Problems in Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised Boys: Insights From a Large Commercial Claims Database With a Focus on Provider Type Performing Circumcision
|trans-title=
|language=
|journal=J Pediatr Surg
|date=2024-11
|volume=59
|issue=11
|article=161614
|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002234682400407X
|archived=
|quote=
|pubmedID=39084960
|pubmedCID=11486584
|DOI=10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2024.06.022
|accessdate=2026-03-11
}}</ref>
}}</ref>


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}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Curran & Al-Salihi (1980) reported an outbreak of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) at the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. The outbreak affected 68 newborns over a 115 day period. The male to female ratio was 5.5 to one, which clearly indicated that the circumcision wound in boys was the entry point for the infection in most cases. The infants had generalized exfoliative disease with loses of large patches of skin. No deaths were reported.<ref name="curran1980">{{REFjournal
Curran & Al-Salihi (1980) reported an outbreak of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) at the [https://njcu.libguides.com/margarethague Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital] in Jersey City, New Jersey. The outbreak affected 68 newborns over a 115 day period. The male to female ratio was 5.5 to one, which clearly indicated that the [[circumcision]] wound in boys was the entry point for the infection in most cases. The infants had generalized exfoliative disease with loses of large patches of skin. No deaths were reported.<ref name="curran1980">{{REFjournal
  |last=Curran
  |last=Curran
  |first=
  |first=
Line 436: Line 603:
  |format=
  |format=
  |quote=
  |quote=
}}</ref> Bliss et al. (1997) reported two cases of necrotizing fasciitis after non-therapeutic infant circumcision with the Plastibell device. Extensive aggressive debridement of infected necrotic tissue was required.<ref name="bliss1997">{{REFjournal
}}</ref> Bliss et al. (1997) reported two cases of necrotizing fasciitis after non-therapeutic infant [[circumcision]] with the Plastibell device. Extensive aggressive debridement of infected necrotic tissue was required.<ref name="bliss1997">{{REFjournal
  |last=Bliss
  |last=Bliss
  |first=
  |first=
Line 472: Line 639:
==Ritual circumcision==
==Ritual circumcision==


Professor [[L. Emmett Holt]] (1913) reported 41 cases of tuberculosis in ritually circumcised boys who had been infected by tubercular [[Mohel| mohels]], of whom 16 had died at the time of writing.<ref>{{REFjournal
Professor [[L. Emmett Holt]] (1913) reported 41 cases of tuberculosis in ritually [[circumcised]] boys who had been infected by tubercular [[Mohel| mohels]], of whom 16 had died at the time of writing.<ref>{{REFjournal
  |last=Holt
  |last=Holt
  |init=LE
  |init=LE
Line 545: Line 712:
  |url=http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/adc.2008.144063v1
  |url=http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/adc.2008.144063v1
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
[[Urinary tract infection]] (UTI) is prevalent in [[Israel]] after [[Brit Milah| ritual circumcision]].<ref name="Goldman 1996" /> Toker et al. (2010) reported an incidence of [[UTI]] in Jewish boys of 24.7%  as compared to girls with 8.4%.<ref name="toker2010">{{REFjournal
|last=Toker
|first=
|init=O
|author-link=
|last2=Schwartz
|first2=
|init2=S
|author2-link=
|last3=Segal
|first3=
|init3=G
|author3-link=
|last4=Godovitch
|first4=
|init4=N
|author4-link=
|last5=Schlesinger
|first5=
|init5=Y
|author5-link=
|last6=Raveh
|first6=
|init6=D
|author6-link=
|etal=no
|title=A costly covenant: ritual circumcision and urinary tract infection
|trans-title=
|language=
|journal=Isr Med Assoc J
|location=
|date=2010-05
|volume=12
|issue=5
|article=
|pages=262-5
|url=https://www.ima.org.il/FilesUploadPublic/IMAJ/0/39/19639.pdf
|archived=
|quote=
|pubmedID=20929075
|pubmedCID=
|DOI=
|doi=
|format=PDF
|accessdate=2025-11-08
}}</ref>
==Treatment==
The usual treatment of infection is with antibiotics.
{{SEEALSO}}
* [[Circumcision industry]]
* [[Fungal infection]]
* [[Jacob Sweet]]
{{LINKS}}
{{LINKS}}
* {{REFweb
* {{REFweb
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  |trans-title=
  |trans-title=
  |language=
  |language=
  |last=
  |last=Anonymous
  |first=
  |first=
  |author-link=
  |author-link=
  |publisher=Doctors Opposing Circumcision
  |publisher=[[Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.)]]
  |website=
  |website=
  |date=2016
  |date=2016
Line 562: Line 783:
  |quote=
  |quote=
}}
}}
 
* {{REFweb
|url=https://intactamerica.org/post-circumcision-infections/
|title=The Risk of Infections Post-Circumcision: What They’re Not Telling You
|last=Alissa
|first=Kristel
|init=
|author-link=Kristel Alissa
|publisher=Intact America
|date=2025-03-25
|accessdate=2025-04-22
}}
* {{REFweb
|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Intactivists/comments/1plc0di/why_do_americans_always_have_stories_about/
|title=Why do Americans always have stories about foreskin infections? Are they lying?
|last=Anonymous
|publisher=REDDIT
|date=2025-12-12
|accessdate=2025-12-18
}}
{{REF}}
{{REF}}


 
[[Category:Medical term]]
 
[[Category:Term]]
[[Category:Circumcision complication]]
[[Category:Circumcision complication]]
[[Category:Parental information]]
[[Category:Parental information]]
[[de:Infektion]]
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