Names: Charisse Kharyle Cabriana Date: December 6, 2016

Randelle Talania
Year: Grade 8
Title: Chancroid

Chancroid (also known as soft chancre and ulcus molle) is a bacterial sexually transmitted
infection characterized by painful sores on the genitalia. Chancroid is known to spread from one
individual to another solely through sexual contact.
Chancroid is a bacterial infection caused by the fastidious Gram-negative streptobacillus
Haemophilus ducreyi. It is a disease found primarily in developing countries, most prevalent in
low socioeconomic groups, associated with commeercial sex workers.
Chancroid, caused by Haemophilus ducreyi has infrequently been associated with cases of
Genital Ulcer Disease in the US, but has been isolated in up to 10% of genital ulcers diagnosed
from STD clinics in Memphis and Chicago. This infection is found in many parts of the world,
such as Africa and southwest Asia. Very few people are diagnosed in the United States each year
with this infection. Most people in the United States who are diagnosed with chancroid have
traveled outside the country to areas where the infection is more common.

Symptoms:
Within 1 day to 2 weeks after becoming infected, a person will get a small bump on the genitals.
The bump becomes an ulcer within a day after it first appears. The ulcer:
 Ranges in size from 1/8 inch to 2 inches in diameter
 Is painful
 Is soft
 Has sharply defined borders
 Has a base that is covered with a gray or yellowish-gray material
 Has a base that bleeds easily if it is banged or scraped
About half of infected men have only a single ulcer. Women often have 4 or more ulcers. The
ulcers appear in specific locations.
Common locations in men are:
 Foreskin
 Groove behind the head of the penis
 Shaft of the penis
 Head of the penis
 Opening of the penis
 Scrotum

In women, the most common location for ulcers is the outer lips of the vagina ( labia majora).
"Kissing ulcers" may develop. Kissing ulcers are those that occur on opposite surfaces of the labia.
Other areas, such as the inner vagina lips ( labia minora), the area between the genitals and the
anus (perineal area), and the inner thighs may also be involved. The most common symptoms in
women are pain with urination and intercourse.
The ulcer may look like the sore of primary syphilis (chancre). About half of the people who
are infected with a chancroid develop enlarged lymph nodes in the groin. In half of people who
have swelling of the groin lymph nodes, the nodes break through the skin and cause draining
abscesses. The swollen lymph nodes and abscesses are also called buboes.
The health care provider diagnoses chancroid by looking at the ulcer(s), checking for swollen
lymph nodes and testing (ruling out) for other sexually-transmitted diseases. There is no blood
test for chancroid. Treatment has been expanded. The infection is treated with antibiotics
including ceftriaxone, and azithromycin. Large lymph node swellings need to be drained, either
with a needle or local surgery.
Some of clinical variants are as follows.
Variant Characteristics:
 Dwarf chancroid - Small, superficial, relatively painless ulcer.
 Giant chancroid - Large granulomatous ulcer at the site of a ruptured inguinal bubo,
extending beyond its margins.
 Follicular chancroid - Seen in females in association with hair follicles of the labia majora and
pubis; initial follicular pustule evolves into a classic ulcer at the site.
 Transient chancroid - Superficial ulcers that may heal rapidly,followed by a typical inguinal
bubo.
 Serpiginous chancroid - Multiple ulcers that coalesce to form a serpiginous pattern.
 Mixed chancroid - Nonindurated tender ulcers of chancroid appearing together with an
indurated nontender ulcer of syphilis having an incubation period of 10 to 90 days.
 Phagedenic chancroid - Ulceration that causes extensive destruction of genitalia following
secondary or superinfection by anaerobes such as Fusobacterium or Bacteroides.
 Chancroidal ulcer - Most often a tender, nonindurated, single large ulcer caused by organisms
other than Haemophilus ducreyi; lymphadenopathy is conspicuous by its absence.

Comparison with syphilis:

There are many differences and similarities between the conditions syphilitic chancre and
chancroid.
Similarities:
 Both originate as pustules at the site of inoculation, and progress to ulcerated lesions
 Both lesions are typically 1–2 cm in diameter
 Both lesions are caused by sexually transmissible organisms
 Both lesions typically appear on the genitals of infected individuals
 Both lesions can be present at multiple sites and with multiple lesions
Differences:
 Chancre is a lesion typical of infection with the bacterium that causes syphilis, Treponema
pallidum
 Chancroid is a lesion typical of infection with the bacterium Haemophilus ducreyi
 Chancres are typically painless, whereas chancroid are typically painful
 Chancres are typically non-exudative, whereas chancroid typically have a grey or yellow
purulent exudate
 Chancres have a hard (indurated) edge, whereas chancroid have a soft edge
 Chancres heal spontaneously within three to six weeks, even in the absence of treatment
 Chancres can occur in the pharynx as well as on the genitals

Complications:
Possible Complications has been expanded. Complications include urethral fistulas and scars
on the foreskin of the penis in uncircumcised males. People with chancroid should also be
checked for other sexually transmitted infections, including syphilis, HIV, and genital herpes.
In people with HIV, chancroid may take much longer to heal.
Prevention:
Chancroid is spread by sexual contact with an infected person. Avoiding all forms of sexual
activity is the only absolute way to prevent a sexually transmitted disease.
However, safer sex behaviors may reduce your risk. The proper use of condoms, either the
male or female type, greatly decreases the risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease. You
need to wear the condom from the beginning to the end of each sexual activity.
Chancroid can get better on its own. Some people have months of painful ulcers and
draining. Antibiotic treatment often clears up the lesions quickly with very little scarring.