Overview of the Etiologic Agent
The incidence of chancroid in the United
States is small, with less than one thousand
cases reported each year. Chancroid is caused by
the bacterium Hemophilis ducreyi, a gram-negative bacillus.
Testing for chancroid
involves taking a sample of tissue from the
chancroid lesion (described below).
The incubation period of H. ducreyi is
3 to 10 days.
Signs, Symptoms and Treatment
Chancroid is characterized by the development of
an extremely painful lesion that appears,
typically, in the urogenital region.
Initially the lesion looks like a raised bump
that continues to grow and ulcerate over a 1
to 2 day period. The lesion, as stated before,
is painful as well as soft, with jagged edges,
and its base may develop a yellow or gray
exudate. About half of people infected with
H. ducreyi will develop lymphadenopathy.
Treatment for chancroid is with antibiotics.
Partners should be treated whether or not they
have developed a lesion. In addition, since
chancroid is correlated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the
patient and his or her partners should be tested
for HIV as well.
