Chancroid
| Chancroid | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A chancroid lesion on penis | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | infectious disease |
| ICD-10 | A57 |
| ICD-9-CM | 099.0 |
| DiseasesDB | 5563 |
| MedlinePlus | 000635 |
| eMedicine | emerg/95 |
| MeSH | D002602 |
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 commercial sex workers. In the United States socioeconomic status has not been found to be a factor in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Chancroid, caused by H. 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.
Infection levels are very low in the Western world, typically around one case per two million of the population (Canada, France, Australia, UK and US). Most individuals diagnosed with chancroid have visited countries or areas where the disease is known to occur frequently, although outbreaks have been observed in association with crack cocaine use and prostitution.
Chancroid is a risk factor for contracting HIV, due to their ecological association or shared risk of exposure, and biologically facilitated transmission of one infection by the other.
H. ducreyi enters skin through microabrasions incurred during sexual intercourse. A local tissue reaction leads to development of erythomatous papule, which progresses to pustule in 4–7 days. It then undergoes central necrosis to ulcerate.
These are only local and no systemic manifestations are present. The ulcer characteristically:
About half of infected men have only a single ulcer. Women frequently have four or more ulcers, with fewer symptoms.
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