Chapter 45 Sexually Transmitted Infections: Chancroid
INTRODUCTION
Description: Infection by Haemophilus ducreyi results in chancroid, one of a group of infrequently encountered sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Chancroid is more common than syphilis in some areas of Africa and Southeast Asia, but it is uncommon in the United States.
ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS
Causes: H. ducreyi is not capable of infecting intact skin; thus, the lesions of chancroid tend to be found in areas traumatized by sexual activity. Material from the vulvar ulcers is virulent and can infect other body sites.
CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Signs and Symptoms
• One to three painful “soft chancres” 3 to 10 days after exposure (these break down over about 2 weeks to form shallow, progressive ulcers with red, ragged, undermined edges, with little surrounding inflammation; autoinoculation is common, resulting in lesions at various stages of evolution)
