Chancroid II

4. What are the symptoms?
A chancroid infection will, within a week, produce one or more bumps on the skin where the bacterium entered the body. Sometimes this is accompanied by swollen, painful lymph nodes in the groin. The bumps then turn into painful open ulcers. These ulcers are very infectious. They may greatly vary in size and in some cases may be quite deep. They may appear anywhere on the male and female sex organs and surrounding areas. Females often have less specific symptoms than males. They may experience only pain during intercourse or urination and some discharge. Thus, they may not be aware that they have the disease and can transmit it to their male partners.

5. How is it diagnosed?
Chancroid lesions may be difficult to distinguish from ulcers caused by genital herpes or syphilis. A physician must therefore take a sample from the base of the ulcers. Several tests are available to examine such a sample in the laboratory.