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Chancroid

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Definition:

Chancroid is a bacterial disease that is spread only through sexual contact.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Chancroid is a sexually-transmitted infection caused by a type of bacteria called Haemophilus ducreyi .

The disease is found mainly in developing and third world countries. Only a small number of cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. Most people in the U.S. diagnosed with chancroid have traveled outside the country to areas where the disease is known to occur frequently.

Uncircumcised men are at much higher risk than circumcised men for getting chancroid from an infected partner. Chancroid is a risk factor for the HIV virus.

References:

Annan NT, Lewis DA. Treatment of chancroid in resource-poor countries. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther . 2005 Apr;3(2):295-306.

Lewis DA. Chancroid: clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management. Sex Transm Infect . 2003 Feb;79(1):68-71.

• Review Date: 6/8/2007
• Reviewed By: Mark Levin, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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