ABSTRACT
Chancroid is characterized by painful genital ulcerations and inguinal lymphadenopathy and the disease must be differentiated from the other sexually transmitted genital ulcerative diseases including syphilis, genital herpes, lymphogranuloma venereum, and donovanosis. The sensitivity and specificity of a clinical diagnosis of chancroid will vary depending on the relative frequency of chancroid as a cause of genital ulcer disease within any given geographic area. In geographic areas where the frequency of chancroid as a cause of genital ulcer disease is low, for instance in the US where herpes is the most common cause of genital ulcer disease, both the sensitivity and specificity of a clinical diagnosis of chancroid can be highly suspect. The treatment of chancroid includes effective antibiotic therapy, appropriate management of buboes, and improved wound hygiene. Prevention of chancroid has assumed a new importance given the potential for enhanced acquisition and transmission of HIV-1 disease via chancroid ulcers.
