Chancroid

Chancroid or Chancre Sore? If it's a chancre sore, you can expect a diagnosis of syphilis. The sore itself is painless and will disappear on its own in three to eight weeks—but if untreated, the underlying syphilis infection will remain to ravage the body in later years. Of the two kinds of sores, this is the more insidious one: easy to ignore, yet ultimately life-threatening. Chancroid, on the other hand, is much more likely to send you to the doctor in a hurry. The sores are painful, tend to merge into large patches of damaged tissue, and are often accompanied by an infected abscess in the groin. If left untreated, they can spread to new locations; and they provide an ideal entryway for HIV, the cause of AIDS.

Lumps, Bumps, and Sores: Chancroid

This is a very common sexually transmitted disease in underdeveloped countries, where its incidence far exceeds that of syphilis. It is included here because experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe that rates of chancroid in the United States are under-reported.

In 1999, only 143 cases were reported, down from the 4,223 cases reported in 1990. Researchers say, however, that many outbreaks may go unreported in the U.S. due to a lack of standardized reporting procedures.

• Risk factors
• Signs and symptoms
• Cause
• Incubation period
• Possible health effects
• Diagnosis
• Treatments
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Pregnancy

• Risk factors: You are more likely to get chancroid if you or your partner have multiple or casual sexual partners. Risk factors, like prevalence rates, are not well understood.

• Signs and symptoms: Chancroid is characterized by soft, gray, painful ulcers containing pus. The ulcers often have ragged edges and bleed easily when touched. Another symptom is markedly enlarged lymph nodes in the groin.

• Cause: Chancroid is caused by a bacterium known as Haemophilus ducreyi which is transmitted by sexual contact.

• Incubation period: Ulcers appear within two to seven days after infection.

• Possible health effects: Chancroid is associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The open sores on the genitals facilitate HIV transmission.

• Diagnosis: Chancroid is often misdiagnosed as genital herpes (HSV) or syphilis by doctors unfamiliar with the disease. Since a precise diagnosis requires a culture with a substance that is not readily available, many doctors or clinics are unable to make a definitive diagnosis. They, therefore, start by ruling out syphilis and HSV through tests for those infections. If the tests come back negative, they then diagnose chancroid.

• Treatments: The recommended treatment regimens are either azithromycin (Zithromax), 1 gram orally in a single dose, ceftriaxone (Rocephin), 250 milligrams intramuscularly in a single dose, ciprofloxacin (Cipro), 500 milligrams orally twice a day for 3 days, or erythromycin (PCE, ERYC, others), 500 milligrams orally three times a day for seven days.

• Follow-up: You should be re-examined within a week after you begin taking medication. All sex partners during the 10 days before your symptoms started should be notified and treated.

• Prevention: Use of a latex condom and spermicides to kill bacteria will help protect you from chancroid.

• Pregnancy: Zithromax's effect on pregnant women has not been adequately studied; therefore the drug is typically not recommended when a woman is pregnant. Ciprofloxacin should definitely be avoided. There are no reports of adverse effects from chancroid in infants.