A male patient presents with fever and scrotal pain. What is the most likely diagnosis?

The scenario describes a male patient who is presenting with fever and scrotal pain, which is suggestive of an acute condition related to the male reproductive or urinary system. Acute epididymitis is characterized by inflammation of the epididymis, often due to a bacterial infection, and is typically associated with unilateral scrotal pain, swelling, and sometimes fever.

In this case, the presence of fever along with scrotal pain aligns well with acute epididymitis. This condition is commonly seen in sexually active young men and can be caused by sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia or Gonorrhea, or other urinary tract pathogens.

While acute orchitis, which involves inflammation of the testes, can present similarly, it usually occurs in conjunction with systemic viral infections like mumps, or can have other specific causes. The other choices, such as acute urinary tract infection and acute pyelonephritis, primarily involve different anatomical structures (the bladder and kidneys, respectively) and typically present with additional symptoms like dysuria, flank pain, or changes in urination patterns.

Thus, due to the specific combination of fever and scrotal pain pointing to inflammation of the epididymis rather than the testis or