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Chancroid
 
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CHANCROID
Image courtesy of the CDC's Public Health Image Library

About the Disease
Chancroid is a sexually transmitted disease that is less common in the United States than in developing countries. There are about 4,000 cases reported annually in the U.S., and the last outbreak of chancroid in the U.S. occurred in the late 1980s. The estimated worldwide incidence of chancroid is higher than that of syphilis. It is endemic in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The disease produces painful ulcers on the genitals and is most common in sexually active and promiscuous males.


 
AT A GLANCE
What it is: Chancroid is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by Haemophilus ducreyi.
Transmission: Chancroid is transmitted by sexual contact.

Symptoms: After an incubation period of 3-7 days, the patient develops painful papules at the site of contact. The papules fill with pus and then rupture, usually forming between one or more ulcers. About half of infected men have only one ulcer. Women usually have four or more ulcers. The most common symptoms in women are pain during urination and sexual intercourse.

Prevention: Since chancroid is a disease that is spread through sexual contact with infected individuals, abstinence is the surest prevention for the disease. Other than abstinence, monogamous sexual relations with a trusted, disease-free partner is the best preventative. It is important to use a latex condom when having sex with a partner who is not certain to be free of a sexually transmitted disease.

Testing: Diagnosis is made by obtaining a culture from the base of the ulcers.
Treatment: Chancroid is treated with antibiotics. Large lymph node swellings need drainage either by needle or local surgery.

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LINKS
Other web sites
 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
 MEDLINEplus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Find out more
For more information about chancroid or any other sexually transmitted disease, call:

  • The National STD and AIDS Hotlines, 1-800-227-8922 or 1-800-342-2437. (24 hours, 7 days)
  • Spanish: 1-800-344-7432 from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Central time
  • Hearing-impaired: 1-800-243-7889 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central time
You can also contact your local health office, or call our Health Info Hotline at 1-866-HLTHY4U (1-866-458-4948).

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